Incarcerated Innocence
by Tsunami Storm
Summary: How exactly did Jellal escape from prison? And what happened afterward? Follow one young man's quest to atone for his sins and reunite with the woman he truly loves. And maybe, he might not have to do it alone. Rated K as always. Pairings, Jerza, implied Miraxus, Gajevy, Nalu and Gruvia.
1. Incarceration Interrupted

Incarcerated Innocence, a Fairy Tail fanfic by Tsunami Storm

Chapter 1: Incarceration Interrupted

* * *

-Era, year X786-

It happened after two years.

Two years after the bulk of the Fairy Tail Guild had tragically disappeared without a trace.

Most simply assumed them dead, except for a few friends who staunchly kept the faith. Namely some wizards of the Blue Pegasus Guild, as well as the coalition from Lamia Scale that had assisted in the Nirvana incident.

And there was one more. One more wizard that refused to believe that the Guild's most powerful wizards had perished from the face of Earthland. He refused to believe that his red-haired angel had left this world for good, never to return.

Not that he would ever admit his feelings aloud.

Era never did figure out how he'd managed to pull it off. They knew that their amphibious subordinates deliberately neglected to feed the prisoners on a regular basis- at least until the last possible moment- and even then as little as possible. A normal man or woman without magic would have succumbed long ago, but apparently mages were built of stronger stuff than regular folk.

Jellal was an even more unique case. For more than half his life, he'd been enslaved in one of the worst possible ways in that magical monstrosity, the Tower of Heaven- first as an innocent child-slave- then possessed by the darkest spirit in the history of Fiore, the black wizard Zeref. They knew all about Fairy Tail's testimony of what had truly happened when the Council had been tricked into the unthinkable: Firing the most powerful Destruction Magic ever devised, the Etherion Cannon, and the destruction of the Magic Council building. But they were too stubborn to admit their mistaken judgment.

So it was that Jellal Fernandes- brilliant wizard and close childhood friend of one of the most powerful wizards in Fairy Tail- was unjustly imprisoned for all eternity, or at least until his heart stopped beating.

At least- that was the plan.

* * *

Barely contained cries of agony echoed through the cell block in the depths of the Magic Council building as some of the more sadistic Council lackeys entertained themselves by torturing their favorite prisoner, the aforementioned Jellal Fernandes. He tried his best to ignore the pain, not wanting to give those toads the satisfaction of seeing how much it hurt.

Another prisoner- whose cell floated slightly higher than his- cried out at the unjust punishment. "Stop it! What is _wrong_ with you? Have you no empathy?" She cried, a half-eaten stick of her invented snack clenched in her hand.

"Stuff it, dragon-freak!" A frog-lizard thing snarled. "Or _you're_ next!" He sneered, but removed his magic staff all the same. "I was done with him, anyway. It's no fun if I can't get a few screams out of him. Let's go." He gestured impatiently to his companion, who nodded meekly, tarrying a bit to glance sympathetically at the blue-haired young man curled up in a fetal ball on the floor of his prism cell. [I can never remember this scumbag's name, so I just call him a thing more than a few times.]

Daphne screwed up her courage and grabbed one of her snacks, pushing her arm through the lacrima barrier and holding the skewer out to the attendant- ignoring the searing pain that this simple action caused. "Give this ta him. Please. Even _you_ must know that he doesn't deserve ta die like this. No one does." She pleaded, wincing and grimacing as the barrier sent waves of pain coursing through her body from her elbow up.

The amphibious humanoid looked worried for a moment- glancing between the two prisoners in indecision- but then shakily took the skewer from Daphne's hand and dropped it through a vent-like hole near the top of Jellal's prism. The skewer bounced once on its end, then fell onto its side right next to the young man's face- though he didn't see it because his eyes were closed.

"Thank you." The female mage whispered, and the attendant nodded, somehow conveying to her that this would be the last time he would do something like this. He didn't want to get in trouble.

When the prison was empty of attendants, Daphne looked below her to Jellal's cell and was surprised to find that he had sat up and returned to leaning against his cell wall. In his left hand, he held the skewer that she had given him and was just staring at it with a blank expression and twisting it slowly in his hand.

"It's food. Ya eat it." She supplied helpfully with just a hint of harmless teasing in her voice. "I made 'em myself. I'm pretty sure that one's strawberry."

"Why?" His voice was barely audible, and Daphne could tell that even just that one small word was a strain.

"Well, ya probably heard what I said ta that attendant. No one deserves ta die from hunger. It's one a' the worst possible ways ta go."

"I'm- scheduled for execution anyway. They probably- don't care- if I die earlier- than expected." He breathed dejectedly, continuing to twist the skewer in his hand. "But thank you. Your generosity- is appreciated." He barely managed a weak smile, which- to her eyes- looked more like a grimace of pain.

"Well, _I_ don't care _what_ they think. I heard 'bout you, 'bout everythin' that happened, an' _I_ think yer innocent. So _there_." She huffed stubbornly, crossing her arms and slouching against the wall. Her defiance earned her a weak chuckle, followed by a round of extremely harsh coughing.

"You sound _awful_." She observed, feeling pity for the tortured young man as she continued to watch him surreptitiously from the transparent floor of her prism cell.

"It's no more than I deserve." Jellal sighed. "I don't deserve to _live_. Imprisonment and illness are _far_ too merciful judgments for what I've done."

"So, on top a' _daily_ torture, yer _sick_ too?" Daphne breathed, her heart nearly breaking for this tormented young man. What had _happened_ to him?

"You needn't be concerned for my sake, Miss- Daphne, was it? I just hope I don't get _you_ sick." He mumbled, glaring at his feet as if trying to burn them off with just his gaze.

"Aw, ya don' have ta worry one li'l bit about me." Daphne grinned, purposely acting overly perky in an effort to cheer him up. "With 'Metamo-chan', I don' need ta worry 'bout any silly li'l cold. These li'l babies 're chock-full a' all kinds a' special ingredients an' vitamins that'll knock out any illness in a matter a' days! An' that ain't just my sales pitch, Darlin'. It's the honest ta goodness truth, cross my heart, folks!"

Her theatrics succeeded in bringing a small smile to her fellow prisoner's face, and he chuckled weakly again.

"How'd you- know- strawberry- was my favorite?" He asked after a minute, the barest hint of a mischievous gleam in his hazel eyes.

"Oh! Just a lucky guess." Daphne giggled. "I don' know ya from Adam, after all. How could I possibly have known what yer favorite flavor was?" She teased lightly, earning yet another smile from the young man. He raised his left hand closer to his face, studying the skewer in interest before taking the smallest of nibbles from the top. After a moment, his eyes opened slightly wider and he looked up at his companion for the first time, meeting her gaze with a warm smile. "It's good. Thank you."

"Glad ya like it." Daphne smiled. " _Now_ if I could just convince those _toads_ in here that I'm servin' the community by makin' more a' these 'Metamo-chan', I could serve my sentence an' be outta this hole." She made a face. "Course, I _know_ I deserve this fer everythin' I did, but still. 'Metamo-chan' is my penance."

"What _are_ you in here for, anyway?" Jellal asked quietly after he'd swallowed another small bite. It _was_ good, he couldn't deny that.

"Oh, when I was a li'l girl, I saw the most majestic thing anyone ever did see. A _dragon_ , an' a _giant_ one at that. I tried tellin' people in my village about it, but they just thought I was cuckoo. So I decided ta make my _own_ dragon. Then _everybody_ would be able ta see that I wasn' a liar _or_ crazy."

"Ah, I heard about that. You made a gigantic dragonoid with a Dragonslayer heart and nearly destroyed Magnolia. But Natsu was too strong for you." Jellal nodded in understanding.

"Yes, yes. We're all familiar with my past- boo-boos." Daphne waved him off, embarrassed by how she'd acted. "But I'm more interested in _you_ , Darlin'. If they _know_ yer innocent, shouldn't y'all be _pardoned_ then, not executed?"

Jellal laughed darkly, shaking his head in defeat. "They're too proud to ever admit they're wrong. Even _if_ I'm justified in blaming every one of my actions on the spirit of Zeref that possessed me as a kid, I'll _still_ never forgive myself for my worst crimes of all:" He sighed, looking down at his feet with burning eyes again. "I _broke_ her heart. I made her _cry_. I _killed_ her best friend, and nearly _her_ too! No amount of penance could ever absolve me of those sins. I'll bear them for the rest of my worthless life."

Daphne's amethyst eyes widened. Now _that_ was some juicy gossip she'd just heard! "Ooh, who is 'her'? A lovely lady in yer life?"

Jellal chuckled again, but there wasn't any humor in it. "Well, I won't deny that she's lovely, _and_ a lady, but I've no right to call her _mine_. I lost that right years ago when I betrayed her. She was a beautiful, scarlet-haired _angel_ , and I just- threw her away like a spoiled brat throwing a tantrum." He ruthlessly berated himself, even though he _knew_ that his actions were not his own at the time.

Jellal's words sparked a memory within Daphne's subconscious. One word in particular. "Scarlet? Wait a second. Ya don' mean- _Titania_?! _She's_ yer angel?" The female mage laughed out loud. "Well, it certainly fits. 'Specially with that one armor set." She giggled, the mental image of the Queen of the Fairies arrayed in her 'Heaven's Wheel' armor appearing in both of the prisoners' minds.

" _She's_ the one who saved me during the Nirvana incident. Just the mere _memory_ of her _name_ gave me the strength to keep going." The Heavenly Body mage smiled fondly. "The Sky Maiden _did_ save my life, but if it hadn't been for Erza, I would've just been another of Brain's puppets."

" _Another_ puppet master manipulating you." Daphne sighed, her pity for this poor, tortured soul growing stronger by the minute.

"Story of- my- life." Jellal breathed, suddenly incredibly weary. "I- hate to be rude, but- I'm really- tired- all of a- sud-" He never even finished his sentence before his head dropped to his bare chest and was rendered profoundly unconscious.

"Well, that takes care a' _that_ conversation." Daphne sighed, rather put-out that she'd lost her conversation partner. He was really interesting to talk to. All that painful history that she could sense boiling inside him, not to mention the immense amount of love that became apparent when he spoke of his flame-haired Fairy Queen. It was clear that he loved her with all his heart, but he wouldn't _let_ himself fall in love because of his dark past.

Daphne sighed again. If only those pig-heads on the Council would realize that they royally screwed up and just _pardon_ him already. He was _innocent_! He couldn't help his actions when he was possessed!

-That night-

"Hey! Wake up, you scum! It's time!" That sadistic, lizard-like Council attendant sneered, putting his staff through the prism wall and poking the motionless prisoner none too gently. Jellal didn't move so much as a muscle.

"Didn't you hear me? Wake up! You'll have plenty of time to sleep later. After it's over, you'll sleep _forever_! Doesn't that sound nice?" He sneered nastily, activating the top of his staff and willing the purple lightning spell to torment his favorite prisoner once again. Though, this time Jellal didn't make so much as a sound, much less move.

"Huh?" The attendant huffed. "That usually works." He tried the same spell again, but got the same result as last time. Frowning, he deactivated one of the walls of the prism cell and touched two slimy fingers to the tortured young man's neck to check for a pulse. Finally, he straightened up and snarled nastily, "You got off lucky, you miserable wretch. Sir Lahar shall be disappointed that the execution is cancelled, but there's not much we can do if the accused is already dead." [Just for the record, I don't like Lahar either. Jerk.]

A horrified gasp followed his words, and Nadal [finally remembered his name] turned to look at another of the prisoners with that smug sneer still on his face. "Yes, you felt pity for this wretch, didn't you? I _know_ what you did after we had left. At least his last meal was something he got to enjoy the taste of one last time." He laughed cruelly, casting a Levitation spell on Jellal's body and lifting it out of the cell, dropping it unceremoniously on the back of his specialized hover platform. "I detest cleanup, but it's best to get it over with right away, before they start to smell." He wrinkled his face in disgust as he flew off, leaving Daphne to lean back against her cell wall in shock and horror, almost positive that she had somehow killed her new friend with her act of kindness. "What've I done?" She whispered to herself. "What have I _done_?"

* * *

Jellal was buried just outside the new Council building where all of the other executed criminals had been interred. In accordance with Era's customs, they placed a simple marker made of a lacrima crystal near the head of the grave, then sealed the hole with dirt and clay- not even bothering with a casket. There was no one who would mourn this criminal, just like all the others who slept here. Then the attendants in charge of the cemetery returned to their other duties.

When the clock in the nearby town struck midnight, a pair of silent, cloaked figures stole into the burial grounds and quickly searched the area. The younger of the two spotted the grave first, and signaled to her companion to come over. The elder of the two wizards freed one of her hands from her heavy cloak, then invoked her Arc of Time magic to bring that one special ingredient in the Metamo-chan into its past so that her one-time puppet would wake up. She had aged that spice so that it would put the one who'd eaten it into a sleep so deep that it resembled death.

After she had finished casting her spell, she sighed heavily and waited patiently at the foot of the young man's grave, waiting for something to happen. She had to fight back a small snicker when her companion jumped at least a foot in the air and squeaked in surprise as a hand punched its way out of the ground two feet in front of her. The hand was quickly followed by a mop of cerulean-blue hair and a look of speechless shock on the young, handsome face.

"Welcome back, Jellal." Meredy beamed, recovering from her earlier shock with surprising grace.

Jellal looked at the young rose-haired girl in tired confusion, but didn't get the chance to question her statement further as Ultear rather unceremoniously grabbed his hand and yanked him completely out of his would-be grave with surprising strength. She gave him a strained, wry smile as she put a slender finger to her lips and motioned for him to follow them out of the boneyard and into the small forest nearby.

When they had successfully escaped the charnel house at Era's base, Ultear finally released the breath she'd unconsciously been holding in a _huff_ of relief. The man she rescued merely stayed silent and quietly observed her and Meredy as the younger dug through her pack that she'd brought, the young man starting in surprise when she produced a purple sleeveless turtleneck, dark blue pants and a blue cloak with white trim that was suitable for a young man of about his size to wear. She reached in again after handing the articles of clothing to their new owner and produced a pair of men's boots and a pair of socks to wear underneath them. When she'd handed these new items to the young man as well, both she and Ultear turned their backs to him to give him at least a little privacy so he could change out of the ragged prison pants he'd been wearing.

"T-thank you." Jellal muttered quickly when he finally realized what was happening, a little bit of a blush dusting his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. He changed in what seemed like record time, as there was a little bit of a chill in the air- despite it being the beginning of autumn. Fastening his cloak gratefully around his bare shoulders, he pulled the hood over his head to hide his conspicuous cerulean hair- and only after he'd done that did his saviors turn to face him again.

"Much better." Meredy surmised, smiling in a friendly way at the young man, and- beside her- Ultear nodded her agreement.

"You're free to do whatever you want now. Just as long as you lie low for a while. We gotta let this 'death' thing blow over before you start showing yourself in public again." The Time mage commented dryly, and Jellal nodded wordlessly. "We're thinking about starting up an Independent Guild. You're welcome to join us if you want." She continued matter-of-factly, not letting any emotion slip into her voice.

"Ultear was thinking about calling it 'Crime Sorciére' or something like that. 'Witch's Crime'." Meredy smiled sadly, looking at her mother figure for confirmation. The older mage nodded shortly, subtly hinting that she didn't want to say any more on the subject.

"If you think I could be of any use." Jellal humbly accepted. "I would be happy to help you, in any way I can."

"Any _use_? What kind of self-esteem is that?" Meredy teased gently, barely touching his shoulder in a playful slap. She knew that he'd had to endure almost _daily_ torture at the hands of those sadistic amphibious attendants under the Magic Council. "Weren't you ranked number _six_ among the Ten Wizard Saints a few years back? You're kind of a _powerhouse_!" She giggled good-naturedly when the young man blushed again at the praise.

"Now now, Meredy. Don't tease him too much. We don't want him to break a blood vessel with all that embarrassment." Ultear chimed in, completely at odds with what she had just chided her 'daughter' for doing. At the Time mage's assessment, Jellal's face turned even redder, causing both of the girls to laugh out loud.

"Gotta make sure not to take yourself too seriously in this Guild." Ultear smiled when her giggles finally died down. "The _last_ thing mages like us need is to get a swelled head."

"Like _I_ did at the Tower of Heaven." Jellal joked finally, grinning abashedly at Ultear, and now it was her turn to change color. "I thought I was a _god_ , but in reality I was just acting like a spoiled _brat_." He laughed in self-deprecating humor. "Until Natsu knocked some sense into me. Literally."

This statement made the ragtag group of disgraced mages laugh for quite a good while. It felt great to laugh like that once more, and that was something the Heavenly Body mage never thought he'd get to do again.

* * *

End of Chapter 1

God Bless!

Tsunami Storm


	2. Innocence Incognito

Incarcerated Innocence, a Fairy Tail fanfic by Tsunami Storm

Chapter 2: Innocence Incognito

* * *

-A few days later, somewhere outside of the town of Magnolia-

"Oh, I can't _believe_ those idiots." Ultear complained with a heavy sigh as she flipped through a copy of the latest Sorcerer Weekly magazine that she had bought with a small bit of her personal savings- in disguise, of course. 'Zalty' had been coming in handy a lot lately. She'd only noticed it because the cover had mentioned something about her newest Guild member, Jellal Fernandes. Well, okay, he wasn't _technically_ a member- as he didn't have the official Guild emblem stamped somewhere on him- but he was essentially an integral part of Crime Sorciére. Like a big brother to Meredy, and a good friend to Ultear, at the very least.

"What'd they do _this_ time?" The aforementioned blue-haired mage asked in a dejected, morose tone. He wasn't happy about being so close to the town that housed the Guild to which he owed so much, and also that had endured so much tragedy recently. The memories were just too painful. The Fairy Tail of late was a mere shell of its former splendor, with most of its promising wizards gone from this world along with the whole of Tenrou Island. Including the young red-haired angel that held his heart. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

"Oh, those Magic Council fools. I was just reading through this article about you, just checking that no one is onto us, and then I find out that they were gonna _pardon_ you the day _after_ we- um- faked your death and busted you out." She huffed, causing the sole male pseudo-member of their tiny Guild to start with such surprise that he actually slipped backwards off the large boulder on which he was sitting with his chin in his hands and elbows on his knees. "Are- are you _serious_?!" He gasped from his position on his back, utterly gobsmacked.

Meredy laughed at his comical reaction, then shook her head in exasperation. "I can't say I'm surprised. They _knew_ you were innocent, there was nothing they could've convicted you of. They just arrested you so they could save face in front of the magic community. Keh. Morons." She huffed, sounding quite like her surrogate mother.

"Honestly, they weren't much better when Jellal and I were members." Ultear growled. "Same stupid mistakes, same stupid laws, and same stupid, old farts too stubborn to see the error of their ways."

Jellal chuckled a little bit at that, finally sitting up and resuming his seat on the boulder, but not putting his head in his hands again. Now they were just crossed across his chest. "Now Ultear, you're not being fair. _Yajima_ wasn't too bad."

"Well, okay. He was the exception." She amended, thinking back on Master Makarov's oldest friend on the old Council. "I hear he's actually a _chef_ now. Maybe we could look into some good 'Disguise' magic and check out 8isLand." She joked, knowing that scenario would never be feasible, but wanting to get a smile out of the melancholy mage. And- to her relief- it worked, even earning her a small chuckle as a bonus.

"Oh, _there's_ a brilliant idea." Jellal commented sarcastically, continuing the joke. "Break out of maximum security prison by faking my own death, only to be arrested again a few days later for visiting an old friend. People would be talking about _that_ big of a blunder for _months_." He rolled his eyes for Meredy's benefit, and smirked in a moment of triumph when his antics earned a giggle from the teenage mage.

"I wonder how Erza would react if she could see this article." Ultear muttered to herself, but Jellal heard it anyway. He would always perk up if someone so much as mentioned the Queen of the Fairies in passing. "Would she have been able to figure out our ruse, or would she have believed the lie, that her best childhood friend was dead?"

"Knowing her, she probably would've figured it out eventually." Jellal smiled sadly and fondly, his mind completely absorbed in the thought of his fire-haired angel. "She could always tell when I was lying back when we were kids. I was a _horrible_ liar." He chuckled abashedly, his mind in the past, in (relatively) happier times.

"Yeah, I remember that about her too." Meredy chimed in, a smile also on her face. "Brilliant, benevolent, beautiful _and_ bad-ass. In fact, I think her only _flaw_ was that she had trouble holding back sometimes." The rose-haired mage snickered, and Jellal nodded in agreement. That was a pretty good assessment of the strongest female wizard in Fairy Tail.

Suddenly, the trio of spellcasters froze still as statues as they heard the snap of a twig close to their location, and Jellal seriously considered grabbing the two girls and escaping into the air and the cover of night with Meteor. In the end, they simply remained still as stones as a group of girls in their teens passed by their makeshift camp, completely oblivious to their presence.

"Did you hear? There's a new Guild taking Fiore by storm, some group of wizards calling themselves 'Mastodon' or something." One girl commented to her friends.

"You're such a scatterbrain, Risa. For the _n_ th time, it's ' _Sabertooth_ ', as in the tiger." Another female sighed in exasperation.

"Well, whatever. My point is, they're way cooler than those pathetic losers in 'Wimpy Fail'." The first- Risa- jeered, causing her two companions to laugh nastily and Jellal to glare daggers in their general direction.

"Yeah. Can you believe those guys used to be the _strongest_ Guild in Fiore only _two_ years ago? Oh, how the mighty have fallen." The third girl finally piped up, and the three hidden mages immediately decided they didn't like her. The way she sneered as she and her friends slandered Fairy Tail. The _nerve_ of some people these days!

" _I_ hear they're getting _so_ few Job Requests that they're gonna lose their Guild Hall! Talk about feeble!" The second girl laughed nastily again. "Once the crown jewel of Magnolia next to our beautiful Kardia Cathedral, now they're pretty much the _laughingstock_ of the magic community!"

"Too bad they lost all their powerhouses on Tenrou Island and that one ninja guy left this world for another one entirely." A fourth girl suddenly interjected, surprising the eavesdroppers with her presence. They'd only detected three sets of footfalls as the girls passed their camp. "What was his name again? 'Mystogan'? Something like that." [FYI, the fourth 'nice' girl is in a wheelchair.]

"I wonder who that guy was, what he looked like under his mask. If he was supposed to be the _prince_ of that other world, he was probably handsome." The first, 'scatterbrained' girl sighed in a dreamy voice, making Jellal roll his eyes.

" _I_ heard that he kept his face hidden 'cause he looks just like that one outlaw that was arrested a few years back. Wasn't his name 'Gerard' or something? 'Gerard Ferdinand'?" The third answered her friend, and- a few feet away- a certain eavesdropper's jaw practically dropped to the ground.

"Something like that. I don't really care about creepy criminals like that guy, no matter _what_ they look like." The second answered, though everyone within earshot could tell that she was lying through her teeth. It was quite the other way around, actually. The only thing that she cared about _was_ appearances.

"Well, getting back to 'Wimpy Fail', they sure have lost their appeal. Who'd wanna be a member of a Guild like _that_? With their rep, it's enough to discourage anyone from being a _wizard_ , even!" The first laughed cruelly again, and two of the other girls laughed with her. The Independent Guild could have sworn they'd heard the fourth, 'nicer' girl mutter, "You guys are being mean. They _just_ went through a terrible tragedy with Tenrou."- but they also admitted that they could have imagined it. Then the four girls moved out of hearing range.

"Well!" Ultear huffed without warning when she was sure they were alone again. " _That_ was a juicy piece of gossip we just overheard! It's too bad about Fairy Tail, but there's not really anything _we_ can do about it."

"That's not true." Jellal disagreed suddenly, straightening up from his cramped position and stretching out the muscles in his legs to get rid of that annoying 'pins and needles' feeling. "There _is_ something. Something that _I_ can do. To that end, I've come to a decision." He resolved, sitting back on 'his' boulder and folding his hands while resting his elbows on his knees again.

"What's that?" Meredy asked, genuinely curious.

"Remember what those girls said about Mystogan? That not even anyone in the current Fairy Tail has ever seen his face? And that he apparently looks exactly like _me_?" Jellal began quietly, but Ultear figured out where he was going with this train of thought right away.

"You can't be serious!" She exclaimed. "Are you _suicidal_ as well as a constant wet blanket? You'll be caught for sure!"

"Not if I do what he did and never show my face in the Guild. I can make everyone fall asleep, 'borrow' a Job from the Request Board, leave a note detailing the one I took, then wake everybody up as I leave." Jellal described, and the two female mages saw a spark of something in his eyes that they hadn't seen for what seemed like forever, and what they thought they'd never see again- at least from him: Hope. For the first time in years, Jellal was finally acting like himself again, like he had when he was a boy. Optimistic, carefree, and with an easy smile.

"You really think that'll work?" Meredy asked quietly, not exactly looking forward to possibly saying 'goodbye' to Jellal. She'd grown rather fond of the young man in the relatively short time they'd been traveling together.

"It's worth a shot." He shrugged, standing up and going through his pack for a writing utensil and pad of paper that he could use.

"You looking for this?" Meredy asked brightly, holding out a sketchpad and ink pen to the former Wizard Saint, and he nodded in gratitude as he gently accepted the tools from her, flipping through the pages to find a blank sheet that he could use.

Suddenly, a memory came to the rose-haired teen, and she gasped, "Oh, wait a minute, Je-!" But her comment came too late as Jellal flipped to her most recent doodle. It was an amazingly accurate and well-drawn portrait of the Fairy Queen and her Heavenly Body 'prince', each entwined in the others' embrace and lips met in a passionate kiss. At the sight, Jellal's face turned so red that his distinctive tattoo over his right eye all but disappeared, and he quickly turned the sketch over to use the blank side of the page. "I'm just- gonna forget I saw that." Jellal chuckled nervously, his face still beet-red.

"Eh-heh. Ah, don't mind that. I was just- doodling. It doesn't mean anything." Meredy covered quickly as Ultear threw back her head and flat-out roared with laughter. The expression of utter mortification on Jellal's face was _priceless_!

"Now, let's see-" Jellal mused, all business now as he quickly struck his pen over the surface of the paper, drafting a composite of the picture in his mind's eye. "Mystogan's disguise looked something like this, right?" He asked after a minute as he turned his sketch around to show his companions.

"Wow. You're a pretty good artist, Jellal." Meredy praised, still rather embarrassed that he'd seen one of her more ridiculous fantasies. Jellal raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "No, _really_! This is _really_ good! Maybe you should be a painter instead of a wizard, huh?" She joked, causing him to raise another eyebrow at her, this time coupled with a smirk. He knew she wasn't serious.

" _I'll_ say it's good." Ultear agreed, studying the hastily-drawn but amazingly accurate sketch of her former puppet's doppelganger. "That's _exactly_ what he looked like. Although, I think he had his mask pulled up _over_ his nose, so that only his eyes were visible." She critiqued as Jellal turned the sketchpad back around and rested it on his knees.

"Hm. Okay." He muttered, erasing part of the sketch and updating it so it would be accurate. "I wonder where one would be able to find such a- 'distinctive' get-up like this." He mused to himself, absentmindedly biting the end of Meredy's pen he'd been using.

"Hey! 'Favorite pen' _out_ of mouth over there!" Meredy huffed, and Jellal looked up in surprise. "Oh. Sorry. I wasn't even paying attention. Here." He apologized awkwardly, handing back the sketchbook and pen.

"Aw, you got marks all over it!" Meredy groused, but Ultear just waved a hand in the teen's general direction and cast the pen into its past, restoring it to perfect condition practically instantaneously. "That better?" The Time mage teased, and Meredy grinned sheepishly at her.

"In answer to your question, they might have some kind of similar costume in one of the shops in Magnolia. That 'Fantasia' parade that Fairy Tail always threw every year was popular with folks from all over Fiore. They probably still have costumes of every single member of the Guild. Especially the famous ones like the S-Class Five and Thunder Legion." Ultear supplied knowledgeably, and Jellal looked at her.

"Wait, five? I know about Erza, Mirajane Strauss, Gildarts Clive and Laxus Dreyar, but who's the fifth?" He asked in confusion.

"Why, your twin, of course!" Ultear laughed. "And I'm not talking about Siegrain, either." She teased.

" _He_ was one of their S-Class?! Oh boy. Keeping a low profile is gonna be harder than I thought." Jellal groaned in dread, and Meredy patted him on the back in awkward sympathy.

* * *

-The next morning-

The goodbyes exchanged as the sun rose were more tearful than Jellal had expected. Ultear was stoic as always, merely offering a hand and taking his in a friendly gesture used between casual friends, walking off and away from the town with a cryptic "We'll meet again. Try not to get into _too_ much trouble before then, alright?"

Meredy, however, was another matter entirely. She'd begged him to stay with Crime Sorciére- even going so far as to call him her 'big brother'- but he'd made up his mind to leave. With a sad smile of endless gratitude for the talented teenager, he embraced the weeping young woman in a gentle hug before bidding her farewell and backing away from what remained of their 'camp' from last night. With a wail of denial that she keeps losing her family members, Meredy tearfully ran off after her foster mother and best friend, leaving the Heavenly Body mage standing alone in the clearing.

"Forgive me, Meredy." Jellal whispered. "But we _will_ see each other again. I know it."

* * *

-Some time after noon-

"Who're _you_?" A middle-aged woman crammed into a teenager's outfit that was clearly too small for her asked rather rudely after Jellal quietly knocked on the door to the apartment building she owned.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. I'm- I'm an acquaintance of Lucy Heartfilia. I heard that she was one of your tenants?" He asked politely, and the woman grimaced.

"Well, she _was_ , until she and most of her little friends from that Guild of hers vanished off the face of Earthland. _If_ she ever gets back, I'm not letting her into her apartment until she repays _every- single- Jewel_ of the rent she owes me. And- counting from the day she disappeared- it's already over 1.5 million." The woman growled almost under her breath, but Jellal still heard it.

Jellal looked sadly at the ground at that statement, the ache in his heart returning with a vengeance at the mention of the Tenrou Team- as those poor mages of Fairy Tail had come to be known around town.

"I'm sure she'll return. Eventually. They _all_ will." The Heavenly Body mage stated with conviction, completely convinced of that fact. _When_ they would return, however- that was another matter entirely.

"Humph." The woman grunted. "I wish I had your confidence, young man. So, what can I do for you?"

Jellal bowed gracefully, glad for the change of topic. "I just wanted to ask if you had another apartment I could rent, other than Miss Heartfilia's. Based on her praise of her own accommodations, I thought that this would be a perfect place to start fresh in this town. I'm- well- let's just say I'm not exactly from around here."

The woman smiled smugly at the flattery, and it wasn't technically a lie. He'd overheard Lucy talking about her 'adorable' apartment once, though he couldn't remember where or when.

"Well, you're certainly well-mannered, young man. And, as it happens, I _do_ have another apartment open at the moment. The rent is 70,000 Jewel a month, quite a steal compared to some of the other places in Magnolia, considering the quality of the rooms you'd be getting for a much steeper price." She boasted proudly, inviting the disguised fugitive into her establishment with not so much as a 'come on in'. "If you'd like, I can give you your key and you can check out your rooms right away."

"Thank you, ma'am. That's very generous of you." Jellal bowed again, following the short and stout landlady up the stairs to the second-floor apartments.

"Yours is the one on the right. Unfortunately, your friend Lucy got the one with the riverfront view. You'll just have to make do with the side-street out your windows." The woman growled as she unlocked the door to the unoccupied room and opened it wide so that its new tenant could inspect it as he wished. "You've got all the basic amenities here, and a _darling_ stove and furnace- if I do say so myself. _I_ did the decorating, I'll have you know."

"I might have guessed. You have excellent taste, ma'am." He smiled, embellishing his words just a little to get on her good side. A little harmless flattery never hurt anyone.

"Well! Here's hoping you don't turn out to be a deadbeat like my other tenant, whenever she gets her butt back here. Honestly, I don't know why I bother cleaning in there every week when I should just evict her. But I felt so sorry for her when she first came to Magnolia. So young, and all alone in an unfamiliar world. Just like so many of those other youngsters in Fairy Tail. Poor dears." She actually sniffed, and the fox wrap that Jellal had thought was dead or at least fake sniffled a little bit too.

Jellal nodded sadly, then dropped his bag on the comfortable-looking bed and left the room, making sure to close the door carefully so as not to break anything. He nodded once again in thanks to the gruff but kind landlady, then stepped out the doorway and into the streets of Magnolia, the town that would become his home over the next five years. Just as he was about to step out of sight, the portly landlady called, "Hey, you never gave me a name to put on your door!"

Jellal looked back, gave the woman a disarming smile, and answered, "It's 'Mystogan'."

* * *

-One month later, Magnolia, year X786-

Despite the absence of most of their powerhouses, life in the Fairy Tail Guild Hall went on pretty much the same as always. Though it was true that the Guild was not earning nearly as much as it had enjoyed two years ago, it was still functioning rather well on its significantly smaller budget. Add that to the fact that they weren't charged nearly as much for repairs around Fiore with their most rambunctious teams MIA, and the Guild was doing fairly well for itself.

 _Financially_ , anyway.

However, ever since the 'Tenrou Tragedy', a metaphorical dark cloud had hung over the previously lively Guild for over two years, immediately dampening the spirits of any who walked through its oaken doors for a drink from the bar or outdoor cafe. Hardly anyone other than Guild members actually stayed in the Guild Hall anymore to enjoy their food and or drinks, preferring to take their meals elsewhere to avoid the depressing atmosphere.

It was in this position Fairy Tail found itself in one unremarkable day in mid-July. Kinana- a kind employee of Fairy Tail with retrograde amnesia- was cleaning the dust from the cafe bar that had accumulated since last night, and preparing everything for the Guild's usual early customers and members that drank coffee in the mornings. Humming an uncharacteristically upbeat tune to herself as she worked, the young woman almost didn't notice as the first customer walked in, his footfalls nearly silent as he approached the elevated counter and bar stools that had yet to be set up properly.

"Oh! Good morning!" Kinana greeted without even looking up at the newcomer. "I'm afraid you're a bit early, sir. The cafe isn't quite ready to open for business just yet. I can make you something real quick-?" She offered as the man walked right past her to the Job Request Board and tore off the most dangerous-looking flier, one without an S-Class stamp on it. He figured that he should start small at first, just so he could make sure he was still up to the task. He'd once been ranked sixth among the Ten Wizard Saints, but he didn't know if he still possessed that kind of strength. It _had_ been over two years, after all.

"Thank you, but I'll just take this." Jellal mumbled just loud enough for the barmaid to hear, and she smiled brightly. "Oh, good! That flier's been up there _forever_! We've been wondering who would have the courage to take on that Request. I just need your name, so I can tell Fourth Master Macao who took it off the Board." Kinana smiled brightly, finally meeting the gaze of her early-bird 'customer'. What she saw made her gasp aloud and nearly drop the coffee mug she'd been cleaning.

" _M- Mystogan_ _?!_ " She breathed incredulously, and the mage put a finger to his mask where his mouth would be, non-verbally asking her to keep his secret- at least for now.

Kinana nodded, knowing full well the importance of keeping a secret for someone. Especially one so famous- yet shy- as their sole remaining S-Class wizard.

"You can tell Master who took the Job, but try to keep my return quiet. I don't want the whole Guild to know. Not just yet." Jellal asked of the young woman quietly and politely, and received a quick nod in answer. He smiled. He was fairly certain the barmaid who had once been a giant winged snake could be trusted. The time would eventually come when he could reveal himself. But for now, he would remain as incognito as possible.

Of course, 'incognito' went out the window as soon as he returned to the Guild for another Job Request, barely a week later.

He arrived at the bustling Hall in the early afternoon- around 2:00 according to the tolling of Kardia Cathedral's bell tower, which rang every hour on the nose. Allowing himself the tiniest of breaks to look around the Guild that his absent friends called 'home', he wandered through the Hall with the smallest of sad smiles on his face. Not that anyone could see it under his mask. Surprisingly, no one was indoors today- or maybe it wasn't so surprising, considering the balmy weather Magnolia had enjoyed all week. This allowed the masked mage to explore the Guild Hall at his leisure- uninterrupted and unseen- just the way he preferred it.

 _Where is_ _everyone_ _?_ Jellal wondered to himself as he silently snooped around the expansive establishment with impressed curiosity. As he walked, exclamations and shouts of merriment came streaming in through the windows and doors that led to the Guild's backyard, and Jellal raised his eyebrows in interest. He didn't see the harm in checking out what was happening, as long as he stayed hidden.

This proved to be more of a challenge than he'd expected, however, as he came upon the sight of Fairy Tail's paradise-like relaxation area. _They have a_ _ **pool**_ _?! When did_ _ **that**_ _happen?_ He asked himself incredulously as the other half of him simply watched most of the remaining Guild members enjoy themselves with a small smirk on his face. After all the tragedy they'd been through with Tenrou, they certainly deserved all the happiness and joy they could find, no matter what form it took.

On a whim, Jellal decided to take a closer look at the merrymaking Fairies, and he silently activated Meteor to jump behind some hedges faster than the human eye could detect. Crouching down so that the greenery hid his form completely from view, he watched the fractured Fairy Tail family fondly as they enjoyed each other's company and the beautiful summer weather, completely oblivious to his presence.

Jellal was still smiling as he watched everyone enjoying the summer day, either basking in the pool or laying on comfortable-looking lawn chairs and sipping iced tea and lemonade, probably from the cafe/bar that Kinana maintained. One thing concerned him, though. A child- merely a year old or less- was shuffling along dangerously close to the edge of the pool, unsupervised by any of the adults, by the looks of it. The child had ebony black hair, a fair complexion, lovely amethyst eyes and chubby appendages as she waddled along the tiled patio, far too close to the water's edge for Jellal's liking. _Sheesh, you'd think that her_ _parents_ _would at least make her wear some flotation devices or something!_ On two of the deck chairs on the opposite end of the pool, he spotted a young couple nestled in the others' arms, locked in a passionate embrace and kissing each other fervently as if they'd been holding back and bottling their feelings for years.

A minute later, all of Jellal's fears for the little girl came true as the child slipped on a few wet tiles and fell into the deep end of the pool, just a mere ten feet in front of him. Forgetting absolutely everything around him but what was happening, Jellal jumped to his feet and dived into the pool just as a young woman's voice screamed, "ASUKA!"

"What was _that_?" A young man with spiky orange hair pulled back in a short ponytail asked as he heard a loud _splash_ , but then got his answer when everyone gasped loudly two seconds later as Jellal surfaced, his mask and scarf floating away from him and riding the waves, and little Asuka held safely and securely in his strong arms. The little girl was coughing, but she seemed to be fairly unharmed by her little accident.

Everyone was staring at him with their jaws on the ground, metaphorically, and it finally dawned on the heroic mage what he'd just done. So much for his big secret. Reaching the edge and quickly climbing out of the pool, he handed the small child in his arms to the outstretched arms of two wizards who were clearly her parents, then just stood there looking down at his dripping outfit and biting his bottom lip awkwardly.

"Um- Hi?"

 _Oh,_ _ **real**_ _eloquent,_ _Jellal_ _. As expected of a_ _former member_ _of the_ _Magic Council_ _._ His sarcastic side sneered snarkily. Jellal quickly quashed that side of himself, as he _really_ didn't want to offend anybody present at the moment. That would just complicate an already delicate situation. Eventually, he just decided to look at the humorous side of things. For once in his life.

"Heh. Well, the cat's out of the bag now. I guess there are worse ways to blow my secret. I'm just glad I could help." He chuckled as professionally as he could possibly manage, being sopping wet in an unfamiliar Guild and surrounded by- if dumbfounded at the moment- powerful wizards in their own right. Reaching for his inner magic and creating a golden aura around himself, he rocketed up into the cloudless blue sky and shot off like a bullet, so far past embarrassed that they'd have to invent a new word for how utterly mortified he felt.

He didn't hear the young mother gasp, "Wait, Mystogan!" or the orange-haired young man breathe incredulously, "That was _him_? He looks an awful lot like- but that's impossible. That guy's _dead_." or see the child's father shake his head and remark, "I don't care _who_ he is, or _what_ he looks like. He saved Asuka's _life_ , and he's so fast that we barely registered what was happening before it was already over. Is _this_ the power of S-Class? I could _never_ compete with that, I'm not _nearly_ ready. Can't _believe_ I thought I was two years ago."

Kinana- however- just smiled to herself and continued cleaning out a glass so one of her friends and Guild members could use it for a cold beverage. Things had been dark for a while ever since most of Fairy Tail's best and brightest disappeared with Tenrou Island two years ago, but now- with Mystogan's return- things were finally starting to look up.

* * *

End of Chapter 2

God Bless!

Tsunami Storm


	3. Imminent Intimacy

Incarcerated Innocence, a Fairy Tail fanfic by Tsunami Storm

Chapter 3: Imminent Intimacy

* * *

-Five years later-

Magnolia hadn't changed much in the seven years that the Tenrou Team had been absent. The town itself was still as bustling and busy as ever, and its denizens still went about their normal lives just as they had for the past near-decade.

While it was true that Fairy Tail had lost nearly all of their powerful wizards in the 'Tenrou Tragedy'- as it had come to be called- it was all thanks to a single wizard that the famous Hall still bore the mark of the Fairy Tail Guild. None of the inhabitants of the town had ever seen his face, but his guild-mates with whom he worked had- just once- about five years ago.

Rumor had it that he would steal into the Guild Hall in the dead of night after everyone had gone home, abscond with the most dangerous and lucrative job on the Request Board, then leave a note detailing which Job he had taken for the acting Guild Master. And the notes would always be signed in the same way. _A_ _Myst_ _erious_ _Friend_. Those that were left of Fairy Tail knew this meant that Mystogan had returned somehow from Edolas and had taken it upon himself to single-handedly keep the Guild from total financial ruin and disbandment, as he would faithfully send back at least half- if not more- of the reward money for completing the Job Request.

This was the state Fairy Tail found itself in one unremarkable, sunny summer day as a certain handsome young man stood at the edge of a dock in the port town of Hargeon, just staring grimly out to sea, hoping to see white sails emblazoned with a crimson fairy on the horizon, but knowing in his heart that it was almost impossible. They'd been gone for seven whole years. There wasn't much hope that they'd managed to survive this long.

"Come on, kiddo." A beautiful woman with long green hair called kindly as she and her husband prepared to depart the port town on the next train, the last train that day that was bound for Magnolia. "It's time we should be getting back to the Guild." Bisca Connell, formerly Mulan, smiled sadly at the youngest member of their 'Team Osprey'. Well, okay, he wasn't officially their teammate, but young Romeo Conbolt had been accompanying them on so many Job Requests lately- at the behest of his father and Fourth Master- that he may as well have been part of their team.

Romeo didn't react to her statement, at least, not as far as the young mother was able to tell. He just continued to stare out at the sea with his fists clenched at his sides, probably mentally chewing out the horizon for swallowing up all of his friends and the people he'd practically _worshiped_ as heroes. Alzack knew that was what _he_ would've been doing, anyway- were he in Romeo's shoes. Though, he would probably be using language that was a bit more 'colorful'- and he wouldn't have been silent, either.

"Just a few more minutes." Romeo pleaded with a quiet growl as a few burning tears ran from his eyes and _splashed_ into the water below him, and his two guild-mates agreed. They still had a bit of leeway before their train departed. They could allow him a few more minutes- to grieve.

"We'll be waiting at the station." Alzack nodded, deciding to give the young man some privacy. He'd catch up before their train left. He was responsible enough for his age. Romeo nodded in silent acquiescence again, continuing to glare out to sea as he had been for the past five hours. Bisca and her husband sighed with heavy hearts as they turned about to head for the station, their footsteps feeling as leaden as their hearts.

"That poor kid." Bisca sniffled, wiping away a few tears of her own. "How could Life be so cruel to such a brave young man like him? How could it be so cruel to all of us? We lost more than half of our _family_ to that- *, Acnologia. You can fill in the appropriate description." She snarled, grinding her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut in a vain effort to stem the pain.

"I agree." Her husband nodded quietly- also feeling a lump in his throat, but handling it more stoically than his wife. " _Monster_ doesn't even _begin_ to describe that- thing. And I'd rather not voice some of the more colorful words I can think of at the moment. The last thing that boy needs is a foul mouth to go along with all of our moods lately."

All of this emotion welled up inside Bisca, and suddenly she loosed a heartbroken wail and fell onto her husband's shoulder, bawling as if her heart had broken in half. "Our family is torn to shreds, Alzack. We'll never see any of those guys again, and there's nothing anyone could have done to stop it. Oh, my love, will we ever be truly happy again? Will we ever find a way to move on?"

* * *

-Back at the docks, a few minutes later-

As the orange and red sun was sinking below the horizon, Romeo finally wiped an arm across his face to erase his tears, then turned back to the port to make his way to the Hargeon train station. However, a surprising sight before his eyes made him freeze in his tracks- though it was far from unpleasant. Standing before him- hazel eyes gazing longingly at the sea as Romeo had been doing mere minutes ago- was his mysterious guild-mate and sole remaining S-Class wizard of Fairy Tail, Mystogan- also known as the young king of Edolas.

"Whoa." The young Fire wizard gasped, taking a step back as the royal mage's eyes met his startled ones. "Heh. Didn't expect to see _you_ here, of all people." The young man chuckled nervously. To his surprise, Mystogan's eyes seemed to sparkle in a way that meant he'd smiled at the boy. "I guess _you_ miss them too, huh?"

Jellal looked down at his feet and closed his eyes sadly. "More than I could ever say." He breathed, surprising the younger wizard with how deep his voice was. He'd never heard the Holder-type mage speak before. "Wendy, Gray, Natsu, Lucy- Erza. Not to mention all the others." He sighed heavily, faltering a bit when Titania's name fell from his lips. "I owe them _so_ much. A debt I'll never be able to repay."

Romeo nodded in saddened agreement, once again tearing up as he thought of the fate of the wonderful wizards that had been his heroes- and role models in some cases. He'd even started _dressing_ like the Fire Dragonslayer used to, with an open vest, scarf, and a half-robe over his pants that fluttered behind him like a cape when he would run.

"Are- are you on your way back to Magnolia, too?" Romeo asked conversationally, and Mystogan nodded. "Gonna yoink another Job Request?" The younger mage smirked knowingly, and he could have sworn he'd made the S-Class wizard blush a little. "It's okay, you know. We don't mind. In fact, if it weren't for you, we probably would've had to disband by now." He grinned gratefully at the tall, mysterious man standing on the edge of the stone wall that kept the tide at bay.

Suddenly a train whistle sounded from the station, and Romeo jumped about a foot in the air. "Oh crap, the train! I gotta go or I'll miss my last ride home! See ya 'round, Mystogan, it was nice talking to ya!" He waved, actually smiling just a little for the first time in years as he ran to where his guild-mates were waiting for him.

Jellal watched the lad scamper off toward the station, then smiled sadly to himself as he looked back out over the sea, wondering if he would ever see his red-haired angel in this world again. With _his_ luck, probably not. Also, knowing that his final destination was most likely Hell, he doubted that he would ever see her again in the _next_ life either.

Glancing carefully around him to make sure he was alone on the pier, Jellal pulled the lower part of his mask down below his chin, then put a hand to his mouth and kissed his fingertips, blowing a short breath over them as he faced the sea, sending all of the love in his heart out beyond the horizon to where his true love slept, somewhere in the wide blue yonder.

"Farewell, my angel."

Little did he know that the very next day, 'his angel' and the rest of the Tenrou Team would finally return home after seven long years.

* * *

-Magnolia, the Fairy Tail Guild Hall, a few days later-

"Hey, Erza." Macao Conbolt called over to the scarlet Knight as she sat at one of the bar tables in the cafe outside the Hall, just enjoying the sun of the midsummer day. The redhead looked over at the fourth Master in curiosity, her chocolate eyes asking the obligatory four-letter question.

"I just thought- you'd want to know-" The older gentleman began awkwardly, knowing that this information was going to be painful for the young woman no matter _how_ he phrased it. "About- about Jellal."

The effect was immediate. Erza's back stiffened sharply, all comfort and relaxation gone from her posture as she sat up from lounging on one of the table's comfy chairs. Her cream and rose-colored cheeks blanched along with the rest of her complexion, and her calm and steady heartbeat quickened sharply as if someone had just given her a fright. How or if that was even possible, Macao didn't know, but that's how she looked after he mentioned the name of her closest childhood friend-turned-worst enemy-turned staunch ally-turned convicted criminal.

Macao sighed heavily. He hated to be the one to give her this terrible news, but it had to be done. _Somebody_ had to do it, and it might as well be him. He was fairly certain he could handle her wrath, but he'd never been able to handle her more likely response in this situation: Her tears. He could never bear to see any of the youngsters in the Guild crying, and this news was sure to break her heart, maybe forever. But still it had to be done.

"Five years ago, we got a message from the Council." Macao began quietly, his face carefully not betraying any emotion just yet. He didn't want to hurt her any more than was strictly necessary. "I'm sorry, Erza. Jellal- died in prison, the day before he was gonna be pardoned for those things that _he_ didn't even do. At least he had a clear conscience at the end. From what they told me, he regained all of his memories a few weeks after he was arrested." The former Master sighed heavily through his nose and bowed his head, eyes shut tight. "I'm so- _so_ sorry."

To his considerable shock, Erza didn't really act all that surprised at the news that had almost assuredly broken her heart into a bazillion pieces. She merely smiled sadly at the pavement stones of the outdoor cafe and laughed softly, no humor at all in the shaky breaths. "I assumed as much. I knew it was too much to hope that he- that he'd still be alive after all these years. They _had_ planned to execute him, after all, when he was arrested after Nirvana. Actually, the biggest surprise was that they _pardoned_ him- albeit posthumously. I would've thought they'd be too stubborn to do something like that." She scoffed in dark humor.

Overhearing the heartbreaking news, Mirajane walked over to where the other S-class woman sat and took a seat beside her, enveloping the Requip mage in an emotional hug- knowing that the scarlet Knight was far more broken by the news than she appeared. "Oh, Erza. I can't even begin to understand how you must feel right now, but I need to tell you something. This is very important, so I need your full attention." The eldest Strauss sibling ordered seriously, and Erza looked over at her one-time rival and also her oldest female friend.

"I know it seems right now like you'll never be able to find any light in this world again, but you have _got_ to remember to keep the light of love in your heart. That unconditional love that you feel for every living thing in this Earthland of ours. You can't close yourself off from everyone and bottle up your emotions so that you won't get hurt again, because I guarantee that there will be both dark _and_ light times ahead. You have to keep yourself open to love, because- without love, we're no better than demons." The Takeover mage entreated her flame-haired friend.

Erza looked at her friend with the beginnings of tears in her eyes, unable to speak after Mira's powerful speech. She nodded tearfully, then tackled the other young woman and sobbed into her collarbone, long-unshed tears finally bursting forth from both her eyes like salty waterfalls. Mira returned the embrace, pulling Erza to her feet as the two most powerful female wizards in Fairy Tail slowly made their way to Fairy Hills, where Erza could let out all her emotions in peace and solitude.

Watching them go with guilt burning in his chest, Macao looked at the ground and muttered to himself, "Should I have also told her that Mystogan's back? No, that would only confuse her. She's got way too much on her plate right now as it is, without opening _that_ whole can of worms."

* * *

-After the events concerning the Infinity Clock-

Fate sure seemed to enjoy messing with him.

At least, that's how it seemed to the Heavenly Body mage.

In what could only be described as lousy timing, word had reached Jellal of the Tenrou Team's miraculous return just _hours_ after he had left Magnolia on a Job Request that would take at least a _week_ for even someone as skilled as _him_ to complete.

Typical.

Now, normally he actually enjoyed going on relatively long missions like this, as it gave him an excuse to stay out of Fairy Tail's Guild Hall as much as possible. Even though he was masquerading as one of their former members, Jellal Fernandes was technically not a member of the official Guild. He didn't belong _anywhere_ at the moment.

However, maybe his abysmal luck was finally starting to turn around, as he'd also learned that Team Natsu and a few friends would be taking a 'training vacation' of sorts at the Akane Beach resort, in preparation for the approaching Grand Magic Games in which they were apparently participating this year. Jellal smirked to himself at the irony of the location they'd chosen. The last time _he'd_ been there- well, his friends at least- was during the 'Tower of Heaven' incident. Simon had still been alive then- Jellal shivered suddenly, though not from cold. Simon's ghost would forever haunt him until the end of his miserable days- or the horrible memory of his _murder_ would, anyway. Jellal was convinced that the soul of his friend was at peace, despite the nature of his demise. He'd died a _hero_ , after all- protecting the young woman he'd loved from a deranged madman who would have killed her without a second thought.

"Oh, Simon." Jellal whispered, falling to his knees and hiding his face in his hands. "I know that a wretch like me doesn't deserve forgiveness for what I did back then- to _you_ especially- but I'm still honor-bound to beg for it. No amount of apologies would be even _near_ adequate, but- know that I am _truly_ sorry, my friend. I know that doesn't _begin_ to cover it, but I can't do the impossible. I can't turn back time like Ultear, and I can't bring back the dead- no matter how much I want to. You didn't deserve this. You didn't deserve a monster like me as someone you called 'friend'."

Just then, the young bluenette had a small epiphany. He chuckled lightly to himself. "Actually, you never _did_ call me 'friend', did you? After I'd been- possessed, anyway. Heh. You knew all along, didn't you? _That's_ why it was so easy for you to help Natsu and his friends in the Tower. You didn't believe you were betraying _me_ at all. You were _opposing_ Zeref- or what we all _thought_ was Zeref. You were something else, you know that? I sure didn't act like it at the time, but I realize now that I was truly blessed- to have a friend like you, Simon. May Heaven bring you peace. You definitely deserve it." He thought to himself as he looked skyward with tears in his eyes.

Standing to his feet, Jellal adjusted his cape so that he wouldn't accidentally step on it in the middle of getting up and tear it or something. After all, this cape and outfit had been a gift from two other dear friends, the members of the Independent Guild, Crime Sorciére. He wasn't wearing his doppelganger's disguise today, instead choosing to don the ensemble that he'd worn when Ultear and Meredy- well- faked his death. In fact, this attire quite resembled what he'd been wearing during his time as overlord of the Tower. Same sleeveless purple turtleneck, same dark pants, and even a similar blue cloak- though this one was a brighter shade of blue- with the same white trim. Shaking his head at Ultear's penchant for subtle guilt trips, Jellal deftly covered his head with the hood of the cloak and made his way across the suspension bridge deep in the woods around the resort, resigning himself to wait until the right moment to summon his fire-haired angel.

* * *

" _Hey there,_ _Fairy Tail_ _._

 _Come to the suspension bridge._

 _We need to talk,_ _now_ _."_

"That's it? Not even a signature?" Lucy asked with a skeptical frown on her normally optimistic face as she leaned closer over Erza's shoulder to try to see the note better. Maybe she'd be able to recognize the handwriting and identify who'd sent the message via carrier pigeon. Briefly, a small smirk brightened her features as she thought of what happened when the bird had found its quarry, landing squarely on Erza's head and doing a little dance with its wings extended. In all honesty, it was actually pretty humorous- especially Erza's reaction.

"That's it." The Fairy Knight replied, also frowning at the cryptic missive. She thought she'd recognized the handwriting, but that was impossible- that it was _his_. He was _dead_. She looked on the back of the note, wondering if she had missed something- then gently sniffed it to check for the scent of lemon, just in case their mysterious friend had written a 'postscript' in lemon juice. To her surprise, she actually caught a faint whiff of the citrus fruit.

Immediately knowing what to do, Erza looked over at the Fire Dragonslayer and asked him to conjure a flame in his hand, not enough to burn the note, but enough to heat the message so it could be seen and read. Natsu nodded with a smirk, then carefully illuminated the secret message so that it could be deciphered.

" _P.S. Bonus points if you can guess_ _who_ _used haikus in the past. I'll give you a hint, it was one of your_ _previous foes_ _." -_ _J_

"Who is 'J'?" Juvia asked with a tilt of her head. "The handwriting of the poem and the postscript looks the same. Perhaps 'J' is the one who sent us this?" She asked, looking to her true love for confirmation.

"But we don't even know if their friendly." Gray argued, his handsome face twisted into a worried frown. "Do you think we should check it out anyway?"

"Well, we're not gettin' much done just standin' around here an' flappin' our gums." Natsu added, his hands on his hips and Happy perched on his head. Meanwhile, Erza's hands had started to shake slightly as she held the small note- figuring out the riddle in a matter of seconds, but not voicing her conclusion aloud. It was just too painful. _Ikaruga_ _, the_ _female samurai_ _of the 'Death's Head Order' Assassin's Guild, and leader of Trinity Raven. So we_ _ **are**_ _dealing with_ _Jellal_ _, or someone pretending to be him that knows of our history. Dare I hope? Could he really be-_ _ **alive**_ _?_ The Fairy Queen bowed her head and closed her eyes, crumpling the note slightly in her hand as she closed her fists and tightened them against the pain.

" _I'm_ all for goin'." The pink-haired teenager announced, turning to make his way off the beach. "Anyone wanna come with? Erza? You in?" He asked, raising an eyebrow back at the young woman who he considered basically a big sister at this point. A _very scary_ big sister.

"Yes. We _should_ check it out. After all, as Natsu said, we aren't accomplishing anything just standing here talking. Let's go." She agreed, donning one of her infamous stone masks to hide her emotions. Lucy looked back at her friend in worry, wondering if the strongest woman in Fairy Tail would ever be truly happy again.

* * *

-In the woods, approaching the gorge-

As Team Natsu approached the washed-out suspension bridge- Juvia had elected to stay behind to train near her element some more, and Team Shadow Gear had stayed on the beach to train as well- the bridge started to glow and rebuild itself, finally fading to its previous, unbroken state after a few seconds. _I'd recognize_ _ **that**_ _spell work anywhere_. Gray mused to himself, remembering back to his time on Tenrou Island _. That's_ _Arc of Time_ _. Guess_ _Ultear_ _is one of the people we're gonna be meeting up with. Great._ He groused mentally, not looking forward to another altercation with the daughter of his deceased master, Ur.

When all of the team had crossed safely to the other side of the gorge- Natsu growling at his teammates for making him sick _again_ \- they were met with a nearly impossible sight. Two female mages stood before them, one with beautiful, long bubblegum-pink hair pulled back in a high ponytail, and the other with raven-black hair kept away from her face with a white headband. Both ladies were cloaked in robes of royal blue with white trim, and the elder of the two mages levitated a small glass orb about the size of a grapefruit in her palm. The younger of the two merely rolled her eyes to herself and turned on her heel, hissing into the background, "You big chicken. You've been waiting all these years to see her again, and now you're- what, too shy? Get out here and at least say 'hello'!" She teased with a half-exasperated laugh.

A rustle of some small bushes followed her statement, and a third cloaked figure climbed out of the woods onto the path behind his comrades, head downcast and hood pulled down so far that it obscured his face completely.

"Oh, for Pete's sake." Ultear huffed, flounced over to the third mage and yanked the hood off his head- causing the young man to jump and look at her in shock, but then it morphed into an irritated scowl rather quickly. However, a loud gasp from down the path erased the look of irritation almost immediately from the third wizard's face, replacing it with a shy, rather sheepish smile of greeting.

"J-Jellal?" Erza breathed, completely nonplussed at the sudden reappearance of the man she'd loved, whom she'd thought was dead and buried for five years now.

Jellal wouldn't even meet her gaze, looking down at his boots as he confirmed her question. "Hello Erza."

"How? I- We- we were told that- that you were _dead_." She breathed again, the beginnings of tears shimmering in her chocolate eyes.

"A necessary ruse." Ultear interjected when Jellal couldn't answer. "And- if you think about it- it's technically true, in a way. The monster that did all those terrible things in the Tower of Heaven _is_ dead, and will never walk this Earthland again." She smiled guiltily. "Believe me, I have no intention of ever harming him or anyone else like that ever again. Or in any _other_ way, for that matter." She added. "But now that he's _pardoned_ , it's all water under the bridge. He can join an _official_ Guild now, if he wants to." She teased, playfully poking her former puppet on the arm and making him jump again.

"Aw cut it out, Ultear, you're gonna give him a heart attack. The poor guy's a bag of nerves right now. _I_ should know." The Sensory mage smirked in a half-sympathetic, half-smug way, revealing a glowing mark on her own wrist.

"Meredy!" Jellal complained, now even more embarrassed. "I thought I asked you not to do that Sensory Link thing!"

Meredy giggled. "Oh, quit complaining. I just wanted to show you that there's no reason for you to be sad anymore. You've been pardoned by the Council, you're out of prison and _alive_ , and your 'scarlet angel' is standing right there, five feet in front of you. What could you _possibly_ have to be sad about still?" She teased, giving him a friendly shove toward the object of his affection and laughing outright when his face turned red as a tomato.

"Well, I guess _that_ worked. He's not sad _now_ , just bashful. My job's done." She smiled brightly at the rest of the group, who were trying to hide smirks and snickers behind their hands. And failing epically.

Ultear shook her head in exasperation at her 'daughter', turning to the rest of the group to address them directly. "You must be wondering why we sent that note, and yes, _he_ did write it." The Time mage smirked. "I'm sure you're all wondering how in the world you're going to get stronger for the Grand Magic Games coming up, and I might have a solution-"

* * *

-Later that evening-

While almost all of Erza's teammates were crowded in a small shack on the beach, screaming in pain as their 'Second Origin' was awakened, Erza and Jellal were atop a nearby cliff, staring out at the sunset-tinted sea and talking. Somehow, both of them suddenly started tumbling down the incline, one somersaulting over the other as they tried frantically to regain their balance. Eventually they both ended up back on the beach, with Erza on her back on the white sands and Jellal kneeling over her, both of their faces an identical mask of shock. As they had rolled down the rather steep hill, special purple flowers decorated with hearts on their petals sent forth their seeds in a shower of sparkles, filling the air with tiny, glittering microbes that looked almost magical.

Overcome by the emotion of the moment and staring into each other's eyes, there was only one thought on each of the mages' minds as they sat there in that position in the sand. Erza looked just like an angel from Heaven as she lay there in her lilac summer dress, scarlet hair splayed out around her like a crimson fire. And Jellal- kneeling over her with all the sparkles and the aura of the sunset behind him- looked just like a young god, seeming to literally _glow_ with an otherworldly light.

Neither spoke a word as Erza- with maddening hesitation- sat up and carefully shortened the distance between their faces, closing her eyes in preparation for what was soon to come. The Heavenly Body mage closed his eyes as well- a small part of his brain recognizing what she was doing, but most of his mind still numb from the shock of what had just happened.

Sooner than he'd expected, their lips suddenly met in the most tender and sweet kiss anyone had ever witnessed or would witness again- just as the sun blinked out below the horizon and plunged the magical scene from oranges, reds and yellows to the fuchsias, purples and blues of twilight. For as long as he lived, Jellal Fernandes would never forget the taste of Erza Scarlet's lips on his, a mix of liquid sunshine, a pinch of salt- likely from the sea just a few feet from them- and, of course, her favorite strawberries.

When his lips met hers, Erza was surprised- to say the least. Given how shy he'd always been- and that terminally guilty conscience of his- she'd expected him to push her away at the last second, probably making up some ridiculous excuse to justify his actions. He never was a good liar. But then Erza could taste every part of him in just his kiss, his very _essence_. It was like tasting a fusion of distilled moonlight, salt- probably from the waves only a couple yards away- and, strangely, fresh strawberries.

It could have been just a few minutes, or it could have been hours that passed by the two oblivious young lovers as they finally parted in a mutual gasp for some fresh air. Both wizards were breathing heavily after their exchange, but neither could find a reason to regret their actions or to even look away from the other as the sounds of the beach mingled with the rising sounds of the night around them. Words seemed too insignificant to describe the utter bliss that they each felt, so they said nothing as they just stared into each other's eyes for their own version of forever.

Eventually, it was Jellal who broke the spell as he leaned forward and gently kissed Erza's cheek before pulling her up with him as he stood to his feet. With a small, shy smile, he ran a hand through Erza's feathery-soft locks- reveling in the feeling of those silken strands sliding through his fingers. Then he started to slowly back away from her, bidding her farewell until they should meet again in the Flower Blooming Capital of Fiore- Crocus, and the Grand Magic Games.

As Erza made her way along the beach to the shack where the rest of her guild-mates were holed up and enduring their sudden and painful increase in magic, she came across the smallest member of Team Natsu as he was doodling a small picture in the sand. He looked up at her with a beaming, mischievous smile as he invited, "Hey, Erza, come look at my drawing." The Exceed said proudly, evidently pleased with himself at his artistry. His sand drawing consisted of a large heart shape, with the initials J.F. + E.S. smack in the middle of it. As he finished putting the final touches on his masterpiece- an arrowhead and fletching on either side of the heart- he turned and put both paws to his mouth to stifle his giggles. For an answer, an extremely embarrassed Erza sent the upstart Exceed flying toward the full moon with a powerful kick, then rubbed away the evidence of her- 'interesting' rendezvous with the man she loved, the color of her face nearly matching the hue of her hair. [The original of this scene is uncharacteristically cruel of Happy. I mean, drawing a broken heart? That's just mean! He _totally_ deserved that kick to the moon!]

* * *

End of Chapter 3

God Bless!

Tsunami Storm


	4. Inseparable Inmates

Incarcerated Innocence, a Fairy Tail fanfic by Tsunami Storm

Chapter 4: Invited Infiltration

* * *

It was the first day of the Grand Magic Games.

Fairy Tail Teams A and B had finished competing in the group competition for the day, and now the time had come for the battle portion of the event. Today's match-up would feature Iron-Rock Jura- one of the Ten Wizard Saints and member of the Lamia Scale Guild- facing off against what everyone but Fairy Tail thought was one of their strongest S-class mages, Mystogan. Of course, Fairy Tail knew better. Mystogan was gone forever. The wizard standing down in the ring now was actually Jellal Fernandes, disguised as his Edolas counterpart so he could hide in plain sight and still participate in the Games on Fairy Tail's behalf. Today he would have to be _extra_ careful, as one of the judges was none other than Lahar, the head of the Council's Rune Knights and the man responsible for his arrest seven years ago. Of course, the disguised fugitive had been pardoned- albeit 'posthumously'- but the Council probably still held a grudge against him and Ultear for destroying the entire old Council and allowing the Etherion Cannon to fire with that whole Tower of Heaven mess. So, he kept his face hidden.

Both mages stood completely motionless in the ring, waiting for the bell that would signal the upcoming fight. At the sound, the two Wizard Saints leapt into action, one trying his absolute hardest to entrap the other with his Rock magic, and the other resembling a falling star as he sped around the arena with his Meteor spell. He knew that no one but the wizards of Fairy Tail knew what kind of magic Mystogan had used, so he knew it was safe to use his own magic to battle his rival Wizard Saint.

What felt like hours to the two combatants in the ring only ended up being a single unit of the time as they battled, and- before either mage knew it- the bell signalling the end of the match had rung, declaring the match a draw and awarding five points to both participating Guilds. Both wizards were breathing hard after their clash, but both were also grinning in triumph. Approaching the center of the Colosseum floor, both wizards shook the other's hand in acknowledgement of their skill and ended the battle on friendly terms, to the raucous approval of the crowd around them.

"Well fought, 'Mystogan'." Jura smiled as he gripped Jellal's hand in his own. Jellal smiled and nodded silently, acknowledging the other man's power but keeping up the charade. According to Laxus, the real Mystogan rarely spoke aloud- hardly a 'Chatty Cathy' like his Earthland double. "I was hard-pressed to land even a single hit on you with that 'Heavenly Body' magic of yours." The star of the Lamia Scale Guild winked, causing his opponent to gasp aloud. He had been found out after all! This was _bad_.

"Relax. I bear you no ill will, my friend." The bearded wizard chuckled under his breath so they wouldn't be overheard. "I remember how hard you worked on our behalf during the Nirvana incident seven years ago, and I had known that you yourself were innocent from the start with that whole Tower of Heaven business. The Council had no grounds to arrest you in the first place, as evidenced by their cowardly attempt at making amends with that ridiculous pardon _after_ your execution was scheduled." The Rock mage smiled at a speechless Jellal, releasing his grip and walking off the field. "It was an honor to battle such a skilled wizard, 'Mystogan'. I hope we have a chance to work together again, as allies."

'Mystogan' smiled too. "Agreed. It was an honor, my friend." Then both wizards left the ring to return to their respective waiting areas designated for the combatants.

* * *

-One day later-

 _They can_ _ **not**_ _be_ _ **serious**_ _._ Jellal grimaced as the announcement came over the loudspeakers for a different kind of battle to end off the second day of the Grand Magic Games. _Well, at least I know that_ _Mirajane_ _can hold her own against_ _Ms. Realight_ _. It's probably gonna be embarrassing to_ _ **watch**_ _, though._

That's not to say that all of Fairy Tail Team B shared Jellal's feelings about the upcoming 'match', if it could even be called thus. Both Laxus and Gajeel had extremely creepy grins plastered on their faces, and the Heavenly Body mage knew that nothing good could come of a look like that. Their remaining team member, Miss Juvia Lockser, was wearing an interesting expression too, almost as if she were hungry to jump down into the ring herself and compete alongside her Guild-mate. _Oh-kay-_

To his surprise, it hadn't even been a full minute before his prediction came true. But it wasn't just Juvia who jumped down into the ring. It seemed that all of the ladies from the two participating Guilds- and even some that _weren't_ participating- couldn't resist joining in the fray and letting the ambient Transformation magic clad them in increasingly embarrassing outfits- much to the pleasure of nearly every man in the audience. Nearly. Back in the combatants' box for Fairy Tail Team B, Jellal was as red as his infamous tattoo and growing steadily more embarrassed with each costume change.

"Hey, check it out, Mystogan." Laxus beamed as he threw an arm over the 'technically' older mage's shoulders. "Titania's down there with 'em. Bet you're _lovin'_ the view now, huh?"

Jellal clapped a hand over his mouth and nose, determined to both keep the blood inside his body and to bite back a few choice words that had just come to mind to chide the Lightning Dragonslayer. A few feet away, Gajeel snorted so loudly that he sounded more like a dragon than a human in that brief moment.

"Let's see our lovely ladies on their big day! Girls, please grab a partner and squeeze into some wedding dresses!" The announcer from Hell, Jason, cried into the microphone. At this announcement, both Dragonslayers in the box guffawed loudly at their hapless teammate, and Laxus shoved Jellal's shoulder so forcefully that the mage had no choice but to activate Meteor and gracefully descend down into the ring. Shooting a glare of promised revenge up to the reserved box, the discombobulated wizard felt his jaw drop as his gaze fell back to the ring. Before him stood the most beautiful sight he had ever seen or likely would ever see again: _Erza Scarlet_ _._ In a snow-white _wedding dress_.

Words could not even begin to describe how resplendent the Requip Knight looked in her formal attire, but a quirked eyebrow and slight upturn of one corner of her mouth had the Wizard Saint confused. "Nice." was all she said, and Jellal cocked his head and looked down at his own attire.

To his surprise, he found that the Transformation magic had affected him too, and he was now dressed in get-up that would be more suited for a _royal_ wedding. A royal blue cape hung off one shoulder and dropped to his calves, fastened with a golden chain that looped under his opposite arm, and an intricately crafted saber hung from his left hip. White gloves covered his strong and callused hands, and the rest of the outfit appeared to have come straight out of a fairy tale book where it described the hero as he was to wed his beloved princess.

Jellal was eternally grateful to the magic for allowing him to keep his mask on, both to keep his identity under wraps as well as hide his beet-red face. As soon as he had been unceremoniously pushed into the ring and subjected to the Transformation spell, the unfortunate mage had been on the receiving end of several catcalls and wolf-whistles from girls in the audience and arena alike. A giggling Lucy called, "Wow. You look just like a _prince_ , Mystogan! I guess _that_ fits." She snickered. This only caused the masked mage to turn redder. Now his face almost matched Erza's hair.

Said redhead giggled. "I believe the term is 'blushing _bride_ ', not ' _groom_ ', Mystogan." Erza laughed quietly as she moved to his side and hooked her arm around his, leaning her head on his shoulder. Without even noticing what he was doing, Jellal instinctively leaned over and brushed a chaste kiss on the faux-bride's forehead, causing most of the girls who were watching to exclaim their approval with a resounding ' _Aww!_ ' that echoed through the whole stadium.

"I'm kinda surprised you came down here." Erza muttered under her breath. "Judging by your expression, though, I'm guessing you didn't have much choice."

"Laxus." was Jellal's only reply coupled with a grimace, but that one name spoke volumes to the strongest female wizard in Fairy Tail Team A. Erza giggled. "I figured as much. I'll have to thank him once this whole business is over."

"And by 'thank him', I'm assuming you really mean 'avenge me', right?" Jellal smirked back at his scarlet angel masquerading as a bride. Well, hopefully it would be real _someday_ , but right now it was just extremely awkward. Though, he had to admit that they made a really cute couple down there in the ring- intermingled along with all of their other teammates, allies and competing Guilds. Though they were on opposite sides now, it was all in good fun and everyone remained on friendly terms with the other participating Guilds. With the exception of Raven Tail. It seemed that the former Dark Guild was competing for the sole purpose of doing harm to Fairy Tail, and Jellal would _not_ let that happen. Even though his main goal was searching for Zeref, he couldn't help but feel protective of the Guild that had shown him such kindness over the years- indeed, the Guild that had become his third family. The first being his blood relatives and the second being his 'brothers' and 'sister' in the Tower of Heaven and their guardian, 'Grandpa' Rob.

"Of _course_." Erza grinned evilly up at Team B's box, and the Lightning Dragonslayer sneezed, feeling that his life had just shortened by about five years.

"Well, then I won't take my revenge, if _you're_ going to do it. That would just be cruel." Jellal chuckled as he gave his scarlet angel a friendly shoulder-nudge- and she responded right back in kind.

* * *

-The next day-

 _This force_ \- Jellal frowned as he followed a mysterious magical signature through the crowds at the Domus Flau Colosseum after the day's Games had ended. _It feels like-_ _Zeref_ _, but at the same time, not. What could it mean?_ The Heavenly Body mage mused to himself as he threaded his way through the masses and tried not to bump into anybody. Not an easy feat, with all the magic staves he was carrying on his back. As he passed a father and a young boy sitting on his shoulders, the boy's toy staff held loosely in his grip brushed against the side of his mask as he passed them, causing it to shift slightly and expose a tuft of cerulean hair. He quickly adjusted his mask to hide it, but the damage had already been done.

"Sieg?" A hushed voice whispered from somewhere behind him. Jellal froze like a statue at the name, then slowly turned on his heel to face the owner of the voice. With a start of surprise, the disguised mage found that he'd been discovered by a former fellow member of the old Magic Council, Master Makarov's old friend, Mr. Yajima.

"You're- you're _alive_?!" Another quiet voice breathed in shock from his right, and Jellal bit his lip guiltily. He knew _that_ voice. The man who had arrested him after the Nirvana incident seven years ago. Lahar. Slowly, he turned on his heel to face the gaping man with his eyes downcast, ashamed that he'd been discovered and had put Fairy Tail's eligibility in the tournament in jeopardy.

"That was some match down there, 'Mystogan'. I was quite impressed with both wizards' skills on the first day. And you _certainly_ surprised me on the _second_ day, too!" Yajima smiled, shooting a surreptitious wink at his young friend and subtly implying that he would keep his true identity a secret, adding a small snort when he brought up the 'battle' of the beauties on Day Two. "You two had me on the edge of my seat for the entire battle. A truly _thrilling_ experience." He continued with the praise, smirking slyly when he realized he was making the former fugitive flush almost as red as his tattoo.

"I- I'm glad you and the audience enjoyed it." Jellal muttered shyly, both regret and gratitude shining in his eyes as he continued to listen to his old friend.

"I'd heard the rumors, but I didn't think you were _this_ similar. You could be _twins_." Lahar breathed, still suspicious of the masked mage before him. " _Real_ twins, not just a thought-projection like that devil Siegrain pulled."

"Well, you can rest easy, Lahar." Yajima commented as he turned from the conversation and began walking to the nearest exit. "Mystogan's been a loyal member of Fairy Tail since he was very young. About the age that Jellal was when he was taken to the R-System as an innocent child. I know they look _exactly_ alike, but they are assuredly not the same person. Mystogan's just as much a loyal member of Fairy Tail as anyone else in the Guild." Yajima continued slyly, surprising Jellal with his clever use of words. The older gentleman spoke no lies, but continued to keep his identity carefully concealed. Again, Jellal felt a wave of gratitude wash over him. He'd definitely have to repay his old friend somehow after this tournament was over.

"My apologies, Mystogan. It was wrong of me to jump to conclusions." Lahar frowned, still wary of the mage that stood before him. Something seemed off. By pure coincidence, he'd bumped into Mystogan years ago in a field exercise, and he hadn't sensed any magic whatsoever from the masked mage. Just from the various staves he carried on his back. But now he could sense a significant power emanating from not just the man's weapons, but from his _being_ as well. Something didn't add up here.

 _Well, even if he_ _ **is**_ _Jellal_ _, it's not like I'm going to arrest him again. He_ _ **was**_ _pardoned, after all._ Lahar thought to himself as he stepped aside to let 'Mystogan' continue- whatever he was doing. _However, I still don't trust him. People don't just go from one extreme to the other like he supposedly did. I mean, a few years ago, he was the_ _worst_ _of the worst. And now he's supposedly the '_ _hero_ ' _of the_ _Fairy Tail Guild_ _? We must keep an eye on him over the next few days._ The head of the Rune Knights mused with a suspicious frown to Jellal's retreating back. _A very close eye-_

* * *

-That night-

"I can't _believe_ you two!" Erza's voice could be heard echoing miles away from the pub where the Fairy Tail Guild was celebrating their victories that day and also trying to recover from the- ahem, 'disaster' at Ryuuzetsu Land earlier that evening. Gray and Natsu were kneeling prostrate before the Queen of the Fairies, both faces mirroring the other in a mutual mask of contrite remorse and abject horror at the redhead's rage. They had _never_ seen her so mad. "Do you have _any_ idea how much damage you caused?! I tell you, Master has the patience of a _saint_. If _I_ were Guild Master, you two would be cleaning up every- single- speck of debris from every- single- thing you destroy- all by yourselves, and with no tools or magic to help you! _Then_ maybe you wouldn't be so utterly _reckless_! Maybe you'd _finally_ learn your _lesson_!"

"Man, she is _really_ PO'ed." Laxus smirked over at his fellow member of Team B, sitting at the bar and watching the titanic 'chewing-out' that Erza was giving the two boys. Due to the- 'incident', Jellal had lost his mask in the chaos, and so had to borrow a towel from the resort to wrap around his conspicuous face and hair, much to the Lightning Dragonslayer's amusement. And it was _pink_.

"Yeah. Note to self: _Never_ get on Erza's bad side." Jellal joked to lighten the mood slightly in the half of the pub which they currently occupied. The _safe_ half. "You might not survive to see her calm down again."

"Heh. Speakin' of which, how'd _you_ survive when she was determined to kill you in that Tower of Heaven debacle?" Laxus asked lazily as he took a swig from his mug of ale.

"Manipulation." was Jellal's only reply, his eyes and countenance downcast at the reminder of his dark past. "I guess some small part of Erza remembered that I was possessed by a dark force that we all thought was Zeref, and- against all odds and common sense- she was still trying to save me. I'm not exactly sure why, but Ultear let up on her control for a bit right before the Etherion fired on the Tower. So, whether Erza knew it or not, she was actually talking with and embracing _me_ \- at least until right before the Tower exploded. Then I put that Bind Snake on her, and- well, you know the rest." He sighed, regret once again pooling in his hazel eyes. "And I didn't survive. After I fused myself with the lacrima and kept the Tower from exploding- I just let go. Then Wendy brought me back during the 'Nirvana' thing."

"You- you _died_?" Natsu gasped as he looked up with his mouth open, his dragon hearing keener than any of the other humans in the bar. For an answer, Jellal just shrugged and smiled wryly at the aghast Dragonslayer, then turned back to his previous conversation partner and resumed his story.

Jellal smiled wryly. "Actually, Ultear was surprisingly lenient with the control while I was growing up in the Tower. She mostly let me be myself, except for the fact that she constantly impressed the importance of building the Tower upon me, and I in turn impressed that upon my friends and fellow slaves. I made sure they got three meals a day, _real_ clothes and not modified _potato_ _sacks_ , and plenty of sleep at night- a far cry from the working conditions under the previous- overseers." Jellal shuddered with a grimace as he recalled the dark cult that had been trying to resurrect Zeref, and their _abhorrent_ lack of human empathy. "The only times she seized total control was when I exiled Erza, and right after the Etherion fired. And then Natsu knocked some sense into me. Literally. He saved me, though he may not know it." After saying this, he shot a grateful smile at the Fire Dragonslayer, but the young man didn't see it- as he'd resumed kneeling face-down on the floor of the pub while his scary 'big sister' gave him and Gray the tongue-lashing of a lifetime.

After a half-hour long speech on the importance of restraint, Jellal stood up and made his way over to his avenging angel, put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle smile. Immediately, Erza's chocolate-brown eyes extinguished their flames of anger and replaced them with a glow of an entirely different emotion, though there was no less passion in this gaze with which she was now gracing Jellal. A mirror of the mage's smile appeared on her own visage, and she sighed heavily with a _huff_. "Well, I suppose you see my point now. Get up off the floor, you're making a scene." She giggled quietly so that no one but Jellal heard it. _She'd_ made more of a scene than _they_ had, but she wasn't about to admit it aloud. "Master? May I make a suggestion regarding the reparation costs for Ryuuzetsu Land?" Erza called over to the extremely short leader of their ragtag Guild.

"Certainly, my *hic!* dear." Makarov hiccuped before motioning for the bartender to refill his tankard for the twentieth time that evening. Jellal was getting a bit worried about the state of the older man's liver, but his tab was nowhere near as large as Cana's _astronomical_ alcohol intake for the evening.

Erza's grin was positively evil as she looked back down at two of her teammates and closest friends. "Since it was _entirely_ due to the reckless behavior of these two wizards, I believe that the payments for repairs should come solely from the rewards they earn from the Job Requests they take over the next few months. Perhaps the lesson will _finally_ sink into those empty heads of theirs if they have to pay for it themselves." She smirked evilly at the two boys, whose heads were still bowed in shame and apology.

"I think tha's- *hic!* a wonderful- *hic!* idea, my dear Erza! *Hic!*" The Master slurred, already swaying from side to side on his perch on the bar counter itself. "An' you'll start- *hic!* right after the Games- *hic!* are over. Do I- *hic!* make myself- *hic!* clear?"

Both boys bowed their heads in contrite submission as they replied in unison, "Yes Master." not even a hint of annoyance on their faces when they realized they'd apologized at the same time.

"Or, _I_ could just be the gem that _I_ am and take the _whole resort_ into its past and save you the trouble." A sly voice sounded from the doorway as two cloaked mages stood in the opened portal, one wearing a particularly smug grin on her face and levitating a crystal ball in her hand.

"Ultear?" Gray looked up with surprise as his almost-adopted sister smiled at him somewhat shyly.

"I found something years ago that I think you might like, Gray." The Time mage smiled as she handed a fairly yellowed roll of paper to the Ice Make wizard. Curious, Natsu looked over his teammate's shoulder, but then Lucy elbowed him in the ribs for being nosy. "It's from my mother."

The only wizard to have seen Deliora three times and live gasped softly, and the beginnings of a few tears pricked in his eyes as he carefully unrolled the letter as if it were made of rice paper.

" _My dearest students,_ _Gray_ _and_ _Lyon_ _,_

 _I feel so blessed that I was able to meet both of you, and pass on my knowledge of magic to the next generation. Your potential is as boundless as the skies, and as multifaceted as a thousand beautiful snowflakes._

 _I know you two boys, and I know that you'll never forget your misplaced guilt over what happened to me. But it was_ _my_ _own choice. I couldn't just let_ _Deliora_ _destroy the two most important boys in my life. That's what a parent does, after all. She protects her children with everything she has. If only I could have done the same for my dear_ _Ultear_ _. But we can't change the past._

 _I may not be with you to guide you as you both grow into fine young men and great wizards in your own right, but always know that I will always be watching over you. Every time you think of me, I'll still be alive in your hearts. Just as my beloved_ _daughter_ _will always live in my heart._

 _Farewell, my wonderful boys._

 _Ur_

Gray had tears in his eyes as he reached the end of his master's last letter, and he closed his eyes to hold them back as two droplets fell onto the bottom edge of the paper where there was a blank space. Rolling it up carefully, he nodded gratefully to the Time mage as he handed the missive back to his sole surviving surrogate family. "You should show this to Lyon as well. He'll wanna see it." The Ice Make wizard told her.

"Already did. His reaction was pretty much the same." Ultear smiled wryly as she gingerly accepted the roll. "Mother also had a spell included that she'd wanted to teach you two, but never got the chance. Let's call it a gift for both allowing my mother to finally move on in peace and for setting me straight both on Galuna and Tenrou island." She smiled, holding out her crystal ball to her 'little brother' and casting a certain spell much like Archive that would show him images of the spell within. "Well, okay, it wasn't _you_ specifically on Galuna, but Natsu gave me that much-needed punch in the face." The Time wizard grinned wryly at the Fire Dragonslayer, who smirked sheepishly at the memory. A small distance away, Jellal also smiled at the memory- and his reaction to her sizable bruise a few days later. That was the first time he'd laughed aloud in _years_.

"This is-" Gray breathed after a few minutes. "-is this Hyper magic?"

"Yep. By far Ur's strongest spell. It takes a _ton_ of magic power, so that's why she didn't teach either of you when you were kids. You probably would've killed yourselves in the attempt. But now that you've discovered your Second Origin, it should be a snap." Ultear smiled as Gray's dark blue eyes literally sparkled with the new magic he had just awakened within himself. "I'd practice with it first if I were you, though. Probably shouldn't use it in the Games this year. That's way too soon." The young woman teased as she winked coyly at her 'adopted brother'.

"Well, yeah." Gray smirked back. "I kinda figured that."

* * *

-Days later-

" _How_?!" A female voice breathed in shock as the Heavenly Body mage helped the young woman he loved to her feet after she'd collapsed fighting off Motherglare's young dragonettes, and both wizards turned to face their guest, none other than their 'little sister' Millianna. "I could've sworn you _died_ in the Tower. How are you _here_?!"

"Millianna." Jellal breathed back quietly, not even able to meet the young woman's gaze as he looked down at his boots guiltily.

"It's a long story. One that would probably take a few _days_ to tell properly." Erza smiled at the cat lover when she saw that an answer was not forthcoming from Jellal. "But- and you _know_ this- that wasn't his fault, in the Tower, not directly. He didn't know what he was doing."

"Yes I _did_." Jellal interrupted suddenly, making both women jump slightly at the self-loathing in his voice. "I knew _exactly_ what I was doing. The whole time. I could see _everything_ that was happening, but I was powerless to do anything about it. I wasn't in control. And I will never cast _that spell_ ever again. _Never_ again." He breathed as he closed his eyes tightly against the painful memories.

"Which one?" The cat mage asked with a tilt of her head.

"The Black Hole. Altairis." The young man sighed with his head bowed in contrition. "The spell that took the life of one of my closest friends. Our 'brother', Simon."

"Jellal, I keep telling you that wasn't _you_. It was _me_." Ultear smiled sadly as she came up behind the three wizards convened in the rubble of a ruined house.

" _My_ magic fueled the spell, and _my_ hand cast it." Jellal argued back with a defeated scowl on his face. "It might as well have been my fault. It doesn't matter what you say, Ultear. I've made up my mind."

"Besides, _Sema_ is much more powerful anyway." The Time mage smiled wryly, somewhat relieved that Jellal had not lost any of his stubbornness over the gap of time in which they had not seen each other. Had it really been five years already?

"Sema? Is that a new spell?" Erza asked the young man as he helped her sit down on some relatively stable rubble and backed off respectfully. He nodded. "I learned it in the seven years that you and most of Fairy Tail were on Tenrou Island. Well, _five_ , 'cause I was still in prison for the first two." He smiled ashamedly. "And magic doesn't work in those lacrima cells. Not that I _tried_ , that's just what I was told when they put me in there."

"How did I hear you, then?" Erza muttered quietly, not intending for anyone to hear it, but Jellal still did.

"What?" He asked, looking over at his best friend in what he hoped looked like innocent curiosity.

"On Tenrou Island, when I was fighting Azuma." Erza clarified. "I heard your voice in my head. You kept saying my name, 'You can do it' and 'Don't give in', stuff like that."

"Well, I don't know what _that_ was, since my magic was blocked. I'm amazed that you heard me, though. Could it be some sort of telepathy that's not affected by magic-cancelling lacrima?" He mused to himself and aloud, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Well, love _is_ the most powerful magic of all. Maybe _that_ had something to do with it." Millianna teased, causing both S-Class level mages to turn red and hastily look away from each other, bashful all of a sudden. Meanwhile, Ultear burst out laughing at how dark her friend's face was and threw a comfortable arm around the cat mage's shoulders. "Nice one! 'Millianna', was it? You and Meredy would get along famously. I like your spirit!"

"That's right, you two haven't been properly introduced. Millianna, this is my friend and master of the Independent Guild, Crime Sorciére: Ultear Milkovich. Ultear, this is our little sister Millianna, a member of Mermaid Heel. We grew up together in the R-System, later the Tower of Heaven. Well, we're not blood relatives, but all of us kids were pretty much family in there." Jellal explained, still red, but calmer now than he was earlier.

"It's nice to finally meet you in person, Millianna." Ultear smiled, holding out her hand for a handshake. After a minute of doubt, the younger woman took it carefully and nodded, still not entirely sure that she could trust this dark-haired mage. "I must say, your perpetual optimism was rather refreshing whenever I would check in on Jellal in the Tower. Siegrain was always so stuffy and taciturn." She grinned evilly at Jellal, who merely made a face and looked away, embarrassed.

Unfortunately, right at that moment, a group of Motherglare's dragonettes decided to ruin the mood and gatecrash the meet-and-greet between the four mages. Without thinking, Jellal jumped up and tackled two of the female mages to the ground with a "Look out!" while the third merely jumped out of the way of the lasers emanating from the young's mouths.

"Whoo! Close one! Maybe we should move this little party to a safer location. Agreed, you three?" Ultear grimaced as she glanced over at her friend and his surrogate family. Then she snickered. "Or if you wanna just stay there and cuddle, that's fine too." She giggled.

The scene on the ground was nothing short of comical, and embarrassing at the same time. In his haste to protect two of the young women that he loved, Jellal hadn't considered the rather compromising and extremely awkward positions they'd fall into once the danger had passed. Just like in Ryuuzetsu Land a few days earlier, Jellal once again found at least one of his hands grabbing the Scarlet Knight's chest, but the majority of his body was shielding Millianna. To both of the mages' utter shock and horror, they found that they were both kissing the other. On the mouth. Needless to say, both parties hastily scrambled at least ten feet apart as fast as they possibly could while the other two mages roared with laughter, nearly as loud as the roars of the dragonettes around them.

"Well! I must say, I never knew you felt _that_ way, Milli!" Erza managed to gasp out between breaks in her gales of laughter. "Why did you never _tell_ me you had a crush on your 'Onii-chan'?"

Meanwhile, Ultear was struggling to regain her breath as well. "As far as first kisses go, yours was pretty memorable. I'm _so_ proud of you, Siggy!" The woman gasped, unable to contain her hysterics for more than a few seconds before bursting out laughing again.

Needless to say, both 'brother' and 'sister' were beet-red at this point and growing steadily darker as they memorized their respective shoes and boots until the images were seared into their minds forever.

"That was really his first kiss?" Erza looked at Ultear while biting her lip to keep her giggles back.

"N-no." Jellal answered after a moment, surprising everyone present that he would be able to speak again so quickly after such a humiliating scene. "My first kiss was in the Tower. Although, you were asleep at the time, and it was only on your forehead." He answered, blushing shyly as he looked up at the object of his affection with a sheepish smile.

"That doesn't count! 'First kiss' implies mouth-to-mouth!" Ultear huffed, but she was still chuckling behind her hand.

"Oh. Well, in that case, my first kiss was still with you, Erza. Two of the cult slave-drivers threw me back into the 'kids' cell after punishment for something- I don't remember what- oh yeah, I stole some of the 'overseers' food for you guys 'cause we all needed it. Anyway, they threw me in, and you had just stood up to welcome me back. You were always happy to see me back then. Dunno why you bothered. I guess Millianna gave you a push, and- well- we ended up kissing." He snickered suddenly. "I'll never forget Sho's reaction. He took one look at our cherry-red faces and made the silliest face I'd ever seen, yelling 'EW!' at the top of his voice."

"Well, he _was_ only _five_ at the time." Erza smiled, recalling the 'incident' now. "I think _any_ five-year-old would react the same way."

"Well, _I_ was five too, and I remember thinking that was the cutest thing I'd ever seen in my life! Except for maybe a tiny little kitten-witten in a little pink frog costume. That would be _adorable_!" Millianna squealed, causing her fellow former prisoners to sweat-drop at her enthusiasm for felines.

"In that case, remind me to introduce you to Rogue and Frosch after all of this madness is over, Milli." Erza grinned, picturing the eccentric Exceed in her mind's eye for a moment. "They're members of Sabertooth, but they're actually quite civil outside of battle. Or, so I'm told."

"Even cuter than that blue kitty from years back?" Millianna squealed happily. " _This_ I _gotta_ see!"

* * *

-A few days later-

 _Clang!_ "Silence, everyone! Her Royal Highness, Princess Hisui E. Fiore, will make an announcement at this time!" Colonel Arcadios boomed as he stood on the second-floor balcony of the ballroom in the palace, where all of the participating wizards from the Grand Magic Games were gathered. The conversations slowly petered out as the princess stepped into view on the higher balcony and gave a graceful curtsy.

"Thank you, Colonel Arcadios." The young woman began with a sweet smile. "And thank you to all of you wizards gathered here for your efforts over the past few days. Not only for your magnificent performances in the Grand Magic Games, but also for your bravery and loyalty in defending our beloved kingdom from the invasion of the savage dragons. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. _Fiore_ thanks you for your miraculous feats."

At this statement, the entire ballroom erupted in applause as everyone present congratulated each other over the events of the past week. It really had been crazy, and everyone was surprised that there was not one casualty among them.

Two wizards- hiding in the shadows of the room as much as possible- however, knew differently. With bowed heads, they recalled with sorrow the loss of their comrade and Master of their tiny Guild, the Time mage, Ultear Milkovich. She'd made the ultimate sacrifice, giving the Time of her life to save the lives of multiple wizards with bright futures ahead of all of them. Silently, the younger and shorter of the two mages turned to her 'big brother' and hugged him around the waist, burying her face in his chest and crying again quietly as he returned the embrace, bowing his head and resting his chin on her head.

"Now," The princess continued. "I have one more announcement, this one of a more personal nature to some of you." Hisui looked over the crowds of smiling faces down below, and her jade eyes rested on the two wizards trying to disappear into the shadows in the back, fearing discovery. Slowly, her smile grew wider and she winked mysteriously, causing the second-in-command of the Independent Guild to look up at her in confusion.

"I'm sure by now that most of you have heard tell of an Independent Guild that has been causing quite a stir in the Magic Community over the past seven years, eradicating entire Dark Guilds with only three members to their name. This, coupled with their heroic endeavors over the past few days, has led me to a decision regarding their status. As of this moment, I hereby absolve Crime Sorciére of their respective pasts, and grant them a full, royal pardon. No longer need they remain in the shadows, hidden from their friends and allies. Now, they are free once again to walk in the light and be with the ones they love." At this, Princess Hisui winked at the gobsmacked Guild-master again, but this time it was more mischievous in nature, and perhaps just a bit coy as well.

After this ground-shattering announcement, murmurs and whispers erupted all around the ballroom as the gathered Guilds looked at their fellow wizards in shock and surprise, but no Guild was more surprised than Fairy Tail. Specifically, one redheaded Knight in particular as she looked over to the darkest corner of the room, right into the hazel eyes of the man she'd loved since they'd first met in the R-System island prison. A silent invitation in her eyes, she smiled at the shadowed wizards and tilted her head ever so slightly in a signal for them to get over here already and quit hiding. With a nervous exhale, Jellal Fernandes and his 'little sister' Meredy wordlessly stepped into the light of the ballroom, all eyes now on them and making them feel very self-conscious.

Meredy looked like a princess herself as she stepped out of the shadows in a primrose-colored gown that was decorated with blooming roses on the skirt and bodice, and a crown of the flowers was woven into her bubblegum hair- worn down for the occasion. At her side, Jellal was dressed as he appeared for the second day of the Grand Magic Games, though this time his mask as Mystogan was absent, as he no longer had to hide his identity. However, as a tribute to his Edolas doppelganger, he still wore the sash and staves on his back as he walked over to the convened wizards of Fairy Tail Teams A and B.

"You look incredible, Meredy!" Juvia exclaimed quietly as the shy former member of Grimoire Heart approached behind Jellal, not meeting anyone's gaze. At the Water Mage's words, however, she looked up and her cheeks darkened to match her dress, bashful at the praise.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You really _do_ look like a prince, 'Mystogan'." Lucy grinned as she made the Heavenly Body mage blush as he looked back down at his shoes. "The Heavenly Prince and his Scarlet Knight." She giggled, making Erza go red as well as the two wizards smiled shyly at each other.

"Oo! Thank you very much! For the idea! That story would make a splendid play for my beloved theater! Thank you so very much!" The short owner of the grand theater in Onibas exclaimed with a bow, and all of the present mages from Fairy Tail groaned at the memory of that grueling catastrophe that was their last performance.

"Lucy, aren't you working on a novel back in Magnolia? Maybe you could- um- write down our story for this gentleman as a script? It could give you more practice, at the very least." Jellal suggested quietly, still a bit self-conscious from all of the staring.

"Hey, yeah! That's a great idea! And you guys' story is filled with all kinds of interesting twists and turns people will never see coming!" The Heartfilia heiress squeaked happily, her eyes turning into stars.

"Not to mention all the love. It's just like all those classic romances that people talk about all the time!" Meredy giggled, giving her 'big brother' a gentle elbow in the arm and laughing louder when he blushed again.

"I think I'll call it- hm. I want it to be a good title, one that captures the reader's attention right away, but something that doesn't give away the plot. You have any suggestions, you two? After all, you're the two main characters." Lucy asked with an encouraging smile. Jellal merely smiled back softly and shrugged. He had read many books over the years, but no good title ideas were coming to him at the moment.

"How about ' _Incarcerated Innocence_ '? It's to the point, grabs attention right away, and it leaves the plot a mystery." Erza mused, half to herself and half aloud. "Then you can think of a way to have each chapter start with a word or words that begin with 'I'." She smiled.

"Hey, hey yeah! That's a great idea, Erza! Oo, I can't _wait_ to start working on it!" The former debutante practically jumped up and down in excitement. "I'm gonna need _all_ of the details, though, just fair warning." She half-teased as she playfully poked her best friend's true love on the bicep, giggling merrily when the simple action triggered another easy blush from the twenty-four-year-old wizard.

"Just remember that _you asked_ for it, when you feel all the heartache from my story." Jellal smiled wryly. "It's not for the faint-hearted."

"It might not have a happy beginning or middle, but every Fairy Tail _has_ to have a happy ending." Meredy smiled, putting an arm around her 'big brother' in a gentle side-hug and making him blush for what seemed to him like the hundredth time that evening. "And I said it like that on purpose." She giggled as she winked at her gathered group of friends.

"Exactly. Besides, who doesn't love a little drama in a story?" A new voice chimed in as a familiar cat mage approached with one of her guild-mates on her arm, the other young woman wearing a highly decorated dress uniform that looked like it belonged with the military more than a wizard's guild. "And I can't think of a better happy ending than to have the hero and his friend _officially_ join the very Guild that he's fought alongside all these years. _Yes_ , I know about that, _Mystogan_." Millianna smirked victoriously when she received several shocked looks.

"Yeah, it's about time you _officially_ joined the family you 'infiltrated' about five years ago." Gray chuckled as he walked up, Juvia clinging to his arm and both holding small glasses of punch. "Not that we _mind_ , mind you. It was really great of you to just about single-handedly keep our Guild afloat for all the years we were gone." He grinned, clapping a hand on the former Wizard Saint's shoulder in a friendly, manly gesture. "We're always looking for a few good men and women to join our Fairy Tail family. And all _three_ of you will make powerful additions to the gang. Join us. I can promise there will _never_ be a dull moment in our crazy Guild." He laughed, causing the gathered wizards to smile at the memories they'd shared over the years.

"Thank you for your kind words- um- Gray." Jellal smiled softly, and Meredy echoed his expression. "We will think about your generous offer."

"Whaddya mean, 'think about it'? _I'm_ all for joining right now! I dunno about you, but I'm tired of running all over Fiore and hiding in _caves_! It's time Crime Sorciére finally stepped into the light once and for all." Meredy huffed, making a face at their all-too-frequent stays in less-than-appealing living arrangements.

"Speaking of your Guild, where _is_ Ultear, anyway? This party's 'cause of _her_ too." Gray mused aloud, looking around for his beloved master's daughter and 'adopted sister'. He had a sneaking suspicion that half of Fairy Tail wouldn't even _be_ here if it weren't for the Time mage, himself included.

"We haven't seen her. She's probably just waiting for us somewhere outside the city. We _are_ fugitives, after all." Jellal lied, putting his hands in his pockets and looking back down at his feet, unable to meet anyone's eyes all of a sudden. He knew exactly where she was, and that she was lost to them forever. Well, until the time came for all of them to join her on the other side of the Mortal Veil.

"Not anymore, you're not." Kagura smiled wryly. "Did you already forget about your pardon? You're free as a bird now."

" _Crime Sorciére_ may be pardoned, but that doesn't absolve us of all our sins. As far as I'm concerned, I'll carry the guilt of my past till the end of my days." Jellal muttered, his morose voice barely above a whisper. "Everything that I've done can't be erased by a single pardon. Especially my worst crime of all:" He looked up at Kagura through his eyelashes, guilt burning in his hazel eyes like real flames. "A royal pardon can't bring back the dead."

But then Kagura did something that no one ever expected. She _smiled._ At _him_! "Millianna's told me the whole story." She explained. "That wasn't really _you_. You were possessed. Simon was like a brother to you, right? The _real_ you would never hurt someone close to your heart." She put her left hand on the hilt of her sealed blade, and everyone present tensed. "I swore to kill you with this sword, but now I see that my rage was misdirected. It's _Zeref_ that deserves to die for all his crimes against humanity, not you." She dropped her hand back to her side for a moment, then held out her right hand to silently ask for his. Jellal was confused for a moment, but then smiled softly and gently shook it with his own right hand. "It's nice to meet you, 'Onee-chan's boyfriend'." Kagura smiled kindly and just a little shyly.

Jellal looked surprised at the title, but then smiled again, this time slightly shyly. "Um, it's a little more complicated than that, but it's an honor to meet you as well, 'little sister of my best friend'."

"What's so complicated about it? You _love_ her, don't you? And she loves you. It couldn't be simpler." Meredy winked mischievously at the 'Prince' and his 'Knight', making them both blush again.

"Oh, he's just being stubborn again. He's convinced that he ' _can't allow himself to fall in love with those who walk in the light'_ , because of his dark past." Erza smiled wryly, shoving his shoulder back playfully.

"Well, now that you've been pardoned, that excuse goes out the window. You don't have any more reasons _not_ to join Fairy Tail and be with your friends and the woman you love." Millianna smiled as she elbowed her 'big brother' playfully.

Grimacing halfheartedly that all the girls were ganging up on him, Jellal surrendered and bowed his head in a silent admission of defeat. "Fine. You win. As acting Guild-master, I hereby dissolve Crime Sorciére as an Independent Guild, and declare that its members will be joining the Fairy Tail Guild, as long as its Master agrees." _**Two**_ _members._ He silently corrected. He couldn't tell them the truth just yet. Clearing his expression, he smiled sheepishly over at Makarov, who was entertaining little Asuka over by the nearby dessert table. The short man looked over and beamed, his eyes sparkling with the excitement of gaining more powerful new wizards for their somewhat struggling Guild. The group took that smile to mean that he had no problems whatsoever with Jellal's proposal, then everyone turned to face the highest balcony as the king walked out of the shadows to address his subjects and the wizard Guilds that he favored so. To everyone's shock and surprise- and to Fairy Tail's eternal embarrassment- Natsu finally arrived at the party, decked out in the full royal regalia and wearing the king's crown on his own head. As one, every wizard in the room sweat-dropped, and most of Fairy Tail face-palmed at their most brazen and reckless Dragonslayer.

Fortunately for Fairy Tail's reputation, the king was a very forgiving man and took Natsu's little stunt in stride and withheld punishment- at least the severe one that everyone expected. Instead, both Hisui and Natsu were only commanded to wear pumpkin heads for the remainder of the evening, and refer to everyone that they spoke with as 'punkin'.

* * *

-A few days later-

"So, now that Crime Sorciére's been disbanded, are you two gonna come back to Fairy Tail with us?" Natsu asked with a raised eyebrow as Erza talked with a local coach business that could take them all the way from Crocus to Magnolia, so they wouldn't have to walk so much. Natsu was adamantly against the carriage, insisting that he'd run alongside the 'death trap' if needed, just so that he wouldn't have to ride it and get sick all over the place. Again.

Jellal smiled softly and looked down at the dirt road under his feet. "Eventually. I wouldn't want to complicate things between your team by riding home with you, and Meredy- well-" He looked sadly over at his rose-haired companion, who was staring off into space and constantly wiping away the tears that were coursing down her face. They had finally found Ultear, or- more accurately- what remained of their tiny Guild's Master. Meredy had yet to stop crying for the loss of her surrogate mother, and Jellal- though a bit more stoic than his guild-mate- also felt the void in his heart that her death had left.

"She needs more time." Natsu guessed, and Jellal nodded. "I understand. Took me _forever_ to man up after Igneel vanished, and he was pretty much my Dad in everything but blood. It's not _exactly_ the same, but-" He trailed off awkwardly.

"Yeah, I get it." Jellal nodded again with a small smile of gratitude. "Igneel raised you for a good part of your life. It's only natural that you'd feel such a bond with him, despite the fact that he was a dragon and you're human. It didn't matter that you weren't related by blood. _Anyone_ can be a father, but it takes a really special being to be a _Dad_. Not that I would know." He laughed once in a small bit of self-deprecating humor. "Closest _I_ ever had to a Dad was Grandpa Rob in the Tower. Then I was possessed- and-" He trailed off awkwardly. "Well, you remember what happened after that. You were _there_ to knock some sense into me." He laughed. "Literally!"

Natsu snorted at the memory. "Yeah, I guess I could've gone a _little_ easier on ya. Holdin' back ain't exactly my strong suit. As you've probably noticed by now." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly in a nonverbal apology, then looked over at the carriage that was to take him and his team home to Magnolia. The rest of Fairy Tail had already departed the previous day. Near the front of the boar-drawn vehicle, Lucy waved to the boys in a signal that they were getting ready to leave, and the Fire Dragonslayer groaned in despair. A whole _day_ of riding in that tiny box on wheels? He didn't know if his stomach could take it.

Just then, a crazy idea came to the former Wizard Saint. "Hey, Natsu. You don't feel sick when you ride on animals or anything _living_ , right? It's just _vehicles_ that make you nauseous, isn't it?" He asked, and Natsu grunted in the affirmative.

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up." He groused, putting his hands in his pockets and glaring over at that doom machine waiting just fifty feet away.

"Well- this is just a crazy thought I just had, but- maybe you could sit on the animal's back while it pulls the carriage with your friends? Then you wouldn't have to walk the _whole way_ and tire yourself out. And you'd still be pretty close to your team and could still join in the conversations if you wished." Jellal shrugged, voicing his spontaneous suggestion for the Dragonslayer to ponder.

Natsu crossed his arms and frowned at the ground, thinking for a moment. "Hey- hey, yeah! That's _perfect_! You're a freakin' _genius_ , Jellal! Man, why did _I_ never think of that?!" He laughed uproariously, literally bouncing over to the carriage and hopping right on the working animal's back. The large beast snorted a little at the extra weight, but then shrugged as it shifted its rider's weight more evenly across its back. Jellal smiled over at the Salamander, who was grinning from ear to ear at the prospect that he'd never have to feel motion sickness again. Unless they had to take a train or boat somewhere for a Job Request. Jellal was glad that he'd been able to help _one_ of the wizards to whom he owed so much for setting him on the right path again. _Now_ if only he could find a way to repay the _others_ for everything they'd done for him.

 _I'll probably spend the rest of my life atoning for my crimes and repaying everyone for their kindness, so I might as well get used to it._ Jellal thought to himself as he mirrored Natsu's earlier action and put his hands in his pockets. The carriage bearing Fairy Tail Team A finally rumbled off toward home, and Jellal raised a hand in farewell as his scarlet angel and her friends disappeared down the dirt road. As he watched them go, Meredy slowly approached from behind him and stopped at his right side, her tears finally spent as she managed a small smile. That's what Ultear would have wanted, anyway. She wouldn't want her two closest friends to mourn her passing for the rest of their lives. She would have wanted them to live in happiness and walk in the light.

And from now on, that was exactly what Meredy Milkovich and Jellal Fernandes intended to do.

* * *

-End of the Dragon King Festival-

A few days after Fairy Tail had left Crocus, homeward bound, Jellal gently asked his young companion if she wanted to accompany him on his own journey. It was time that he put his past behind him and looked to the future, and he thought that the young woman who stood at his side could benefit from that outlook as well. With a slow nod, Meredy agreed to journey from the Capital to the home of the victors of the Grand Magic Games- the picturesque and bustling town of Magnolia. It was time for a fresh start for both of them, and a brand new Guild to call home.

* * *

-Months later-

"So- that was _you_? _You_ were the one who was-"

"Stealing your more dangerous Jobs off the Request Board and sending half of the reward back to help pay the bills? Yep." Jellal laughed with a slightly sheepish blush dusting his cheeks and nose. It was amazing just how infectious Fairy Tail's optimism could be. Within just a few weeks of officially joining the Guild, Jellal found himself laughing and genuinely enjoying himself more than he'd ever had before in his life. Now- only a few months after the Grand Magic Games- the one-time fugitive from the law felt just as much a part of the Fairy Tail family as anyone here in the Guild. Friendship truly was a beautiful thing.

"An' here I thought that _Mystogan_ somehow came back to this world an' was helping us out, like the old days." Macao groaned, feigning disappointment, but in reality nearly bursting with gratitude at the young man's thoughtfulness. Master Mavis was right. He really _did_ have a heart of gold in tune with the members of Fairy Tail. And his new Guild mark was physical proof of that. However, in keeping with his secretive nature, no one but the Master knew where he had put the emblem on his body. There were a few bets going around the Guild Hall as to where the sigil was located, but Jellal and Makarov both never confirmed nor denied any of the guesses. [If you guess it right in a review, I _might_ just reveal where I think it is and what color!]

"Well, that certainly sounds like something he'd do, but I don't think it's possible to leave Edolas. At least, not anymore." Jellal smiled, thinking about all the stories he'd heard about his true doppelganger and basing his assumption on that. "Besides, he's the _king_ , isn't he? He's probably swamped with his own problems over there." He chuckled.

"Yeah. Probably." Macao agreed, fingering his mug. "Y'know, I still can't believe it, even after all these years. Mystogan was a _prince_ of a whole other _world_ , and we had no idea." The older gentleman laughed as he took another swig from his tankard of beer that he'd ordered from the bar. Jellal just stuck to good-old coffee. He didn't want to deal with a hangover tomorrow on top of everything else. Erza was due back tomorrow with Gray and Lucy, and he had a very important question to ask her, something that would change both of their lives forever.

"And the only reason he kept his face covered was because he'd heard about what happened between _us_ in the Tower of Heaven, and he didn't want to hurt Erza unnecessarily." Jellal nodded, his respect for his double rising as he smiled gently. Then he chuckled. "Of course, Laxus kinda ruined it during the Battle of Fairy Tail when he shot him right in the _face_ with lightning." He smirked, shooting a raised eyebrow over at the Lightning Dragonslayer- who had been eavesdropping. Laxus Dreyar grimaced and quickly looked away, slightly abashed.

"Ah, knock it off, Fernandes." The Master's grandson growled. " _You're_ one to talk about past mistakes. If I _could_ apologize to him, I would. But I can't. I _know_ I was a ֏₳¢₭₳$$, and everybody here _still_ forgave me. Heh. Buncha softies." He smirked somewhat fondly, grinning sheepishly when his wandering gaze met Mira's lovely countenance briefly, but then both S-Class mages looked away with slightly pink faces.

"Well, Gramps is pretty salty about it still, but he holds a grudge like nobody's business." Natsu interjected as he passed their two tables in the Guild Hall. "Though, I'm pretty sure that- underneath it all- he's real proud of what you've become." The boy smiled proudly, grinning at the older man he used to idolize. Still did, come to think of it.

"When'd _you_ get so wise, Dragneel?" Laxus teased, visibly amused. "Guess I gotta stop calling you kids 'kids' and 'brats' now. Now yer _older_ pains in my behind." He chuckled, trying to get a rise out of the hot-headed Fire wizard and grinning in triumph when the first-gen Dragonslayer went volcanic.

"Alright, _that's_ it! You an' me, Laxus. Behind the Guild. Right now!" The young man challenged, both fists aflame as he growled at his opponent, sounding very much like his foster father as he did so.

"Bring it on, Pinkie." Laxus laughed, using his magic to bolt over to the door before Natsu and stepped out the back door. "Ya comin', slowpoke?" He razzed, egging on the enraged dragon even more with the biggest grin anyone had ever seen on his face. He was having _way_ too much fun with this.

"I _told_ you guys a billion times! It's not _pink_ , it's really really light red!" The incensed Dragonslayer roared, clearly insulted.

"It's _pink_." laughed most of the rest of the Guild, not even bothering to hide the fact that they'd been listening to the whole thing. Jellal put a fist in front of his mouth to stifle his snickering, but he couldn't keep it all in. Natsu was way too easy to rile up.

Up on the second story rampart, Makarov watched two of his children- one a blood relative and one not- as they proceeded to beat the snot out of each other with both their magic and their limbs. A sweat-drop as big as his head appeared in the air next to him as the third and sixth Master closed his eyes and shook his head in exasperation. "You kids are gonna drive me to an early grave." He groaned as he took a swig of wine from a tankard he'd brought up with him from the bar.

* * *

-The next day-

"We're home!" Lucy called happily as she and the rest of her team stepped through the double oak doors of the Guild Hall, glad to be back in the town they all loved.

"Welcome back, you three!" Mira called from the second story, a broom in her hand as she helped Kinana with some cleaning up around the Hall. With how lively their Guild was, the simple cleaning tool would have to be used pretty much every day to clean up the multitude of messes the crazy bunch of mages would create. "How did it go?" The Takeover mage beamed sweetly. [Yes, it's Max's favorite broom. XD]

"Great. Our client was really pleased with how fast and hard we worked." Gray grinned, proud of his team and how well they all were able to work together. Then he chuckled and glanced sideways over to his 'big sister'. "I _told_ you that you wouldn't need to bring all that junk with us on that Job. It was just in Hosenka." He teased lightly, making the Requip Knight roll her eyes and scowl at him in mock irritation.

"That may be true, Gray, but it never hurts to be prepared for anything." She countered with a playful, light punch to the young man's shoulder. "Too much is always better than not enough, considering the only thing _you_ brought along was yourself and a single pair of underwear. The ones you were _wearing_." She teased with a devilish grin that didn't belong on her angelic face.

"Gah! Not again!" Gray exclaimed, apparently just now noticing that he was once again wearing nothing but his boxers. "Why didn't you _tell_ me I did it again, Lucy?" He accused, looking over at the Celestial Wizard with a slightly hurt pout on his face.

Lucy just laughed at his expression. "I just figured it's second-nature for you to strip at the most inopportune times at this point, so I just went with it. Besides, it's the middle of summer, and we were in a Hot Spring Resort for most of our trip. I figured you were too warm to wear anything else." She teased, causing the Ice Make wizard to turn slightly pink with embarrassment.

"You _still_ could've told me." He groused, but let it slide, walking over to where the lockers were kept in the Guild Hall to see if he'd left any of his clothes in there from previous experiences.

"Erza?" A deep, somewhat shy voice suddenly sounded from one of the nearby tables, and the scarlet Knight looked over to see her 'prince' smiling back at her. "W-welcome home, first of all- and- there's- there's something I need to ask you. It's really important." He stammered, more flustered than anyone could ever remember seeing him.

"What is it?" The clueless mage asked the man she loved, and her confusion grew when he stood up and walked over to her, kneeling down on one knee when he was just a few feet in front of her.

That's not to say that everyone in the Guild Hall was clueless about the current situation. Gajeel and Laxus both spat out the drinks they had been enjoying in unison, utterly shocked by this sudden turn of events. Most of the rest of the Guild's mouths dropped open in dumbfounded incredulity, and Lucy's and Mira's 'squee!' of ecstasy could be heard echoing from even outside of the town limits, several miles away. They knew perfectly well what was happening, and both young women couldn't be happier for their flame-haired best friend.

"You don't have to give me an answer right away, of course, but- I just want to tell you how I feel." Jellal continued, wisely deciding to ignore his rather immature comrades. Good thing Meredy was out on a job with Juvia and Wendy, otherwise she would've been squealing in delight with the other girls. And giving him a headache in the process. That girl's voice was so high pitched when she squealed that she could shatter _glass_ if she wanted to.

"Erza, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me in my whole life, even considering that we met under some of the worst possible circumstances. I- I love you, Titania, and I promise to love you for the rest of my life- however long or short it may be. I know how cheesy that sounds, but I'm trying to be sincere as possible. I- I guess- what I'm asking is: Erza Titania Scarlet, will you marry me?"

 _Whump._

The Heavenly Body mage blinked a few times in surprise when he suddenly found Titania lying on the ground, unconscious. He looked around the Guild Hall at the myriad of equally stunned faces, all eyes on either him or the fainted wizard at his feet. With a small snort of amusement, Lucy carefully put Erza's arm over both her shoulders and stood up with her, dragging her over to the nearest chair and gently setting her down so she would be more comfortable when she woke up from her little surprise-induced siesta.

The Celestial wizard grinned over at the hapless Heavenly Body mage and bit her bottom lip in an effort to rein in her giggles. "I think you can take that as a 'Yes'." She winked, and Jellal's face broke into a beaming smile that lit up the entire Guild Hall.

He'd been seven years old when he was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of Heaven, then was a slave to Ultear's influence for ten long years until he was freed by the young woman he loved and her friends. A few months later found him a prisoner of retrograde amnesia, his own memories barred from him as he fought to protect his new _and_ old friends from the terror of Master Zero and the Oracion Seis. Then he was arrested and jailed for two years for his crimes against Era and the Magic Council, though these were not truly _his_ sins. And now, finally, five long years later, Jellal Fernandes once again found himself imprisoned- just another inmate and prisoner of the highest security prison ever devised by mankind: A prisoner of love. This was one incarceration that he didn't mind being a part of, though, so long as he got to share his imprisonment with his scarlet angel.

And that's how it would stay, to the end of Time.

* * *

End of chapter 4

God Bless!

Tsunami Storm


	5. Invalidated Injury

Incarcerated Innocence, a Fairy Tail fanfic by Tsunami Storm

Chapter 5: Invalidated Injury

* * *

-A few weeks later-

"Thank you so much for volunteering to help me with this, you guys, but you really didn't need to. You're so sweet!" Mira smiled gratefully as she organized a high shelf of books in the Records room of the Fairy Tail Guild hall. It was a bit of 'Spring Cleaning', as she called it, even though spring was still months away. More like ' _Christmas_ Cleaning', to be honest.

"Oh, it's no problem, Miss Mirajane. We're happy to help." The youngest Dragonslayer- Wendy Marvel- answered with a beaming grin. A few columns of shelves away from her, Jellal Fernandes grinned his agreement as he looked through the various tomes. Pantherlily and Carla were helping out as well, the male Exceed in his smaller form and flying with Wendy as she dusted the ancient books and various pamphlets. At the desk, Carla was hard at work, repairing and restoring some of the older books that were falling apart, making them look nearly as good as the day they were printed. Mira was carefully rearranging books while standing on the ladder and removing tomes that Carla would need to restore next. Since the only ladder was already in use, Jellal was using his Meteor magic to hover in the air in front of the shelf he was currently concentrating on.

"It's the least I can do." Jellal mused aloud as he descended to the ground level with another fragile book destined for repair. He set it carefully on the desk and smiled wryly at Carla, who had sighed exasperatedly at all the work she had yet to do. "If I can be of service to anyone in Fairy Tail- the Guild to whom I owe _so much_ \- I will gladly do whatever they ask of me, to the best of my ability. I'd like a chance to prove myself." _Maybe-_ He thought aside to himself- _assisting my_ _friends_ _will help assuage some of the guilt of the past for my many sins that I've yet to atone for._ _Mavis_ _knows that it won't erase them completely, but perhaps they won't be as painful anymore._

As his thoughts trailed down this depressing line, Jellal looked down sadly when his most grievous sin surfaced in his mind once again. _Oh,_ _Simon_ _. Forgive me._ He breathed mentally as he shut his eyes tightly for a moment against the tears.

"My prince? Er- I mean, Jellal? What's wrong?" Lily asked in concern, momentarily confusing Jellal with his counterpart, the current king of Edolas that had been his close friend.

Jellal looked up at the elder Exceed and smiled wryly. "Nothing. It's all in the past. There's nothing anyone can do about it now." He looked down at the floor at least twenty feet below him for a moment, then returned his gaze to the shelf where he was working.

Nobody present that day could tell afterward how it happened, but somehow the ladder rung that Mira had been standing on to reach the upper shelves suddenly snapped in half, causing the unsuspecting Takeover mage to slip backwards and fall to the ground. As if everything was happening in slow motion- Jellal, Wendy, Lily and Carla all jumped into action at the same time to catch their friend and keep her from getting seriously injured or worse by a fall from that height. Coincidentally, the book Mira had been holding was falling right beside her, and it opened to a certain page just as the three mages and two Exceeds collided in midair. A flash of bright white light illuminated the vicinity for a brief second, and then the opened book dropped to the stone floor of the Records room, the five members of Fairy Tail nowhere to be found.

* * *

"Oh my goodness! That was certainly exciting, wasn't it?" Mira giggled in her perpetually optimistic tone as the other two humans and two felines sat up from their positions scattered all around the room, all putting a hand to their heads as if stricken by sudden headaches.

Well, okay. 'Room' was a bit of a misnomer. There were no walls or doors to speak of, and the structures that were still standing looked more like badly damaged crystal columns radiating a bright blue light. Sections of crystal of all shapes and sizes were crashing to the ground all around them, and Jellal had to swiftly roll out of the path of one shard to avoid being impaled through the stomach. The piece must have been at least three feet long, and at least a foot wide.

After dodging another falling crystalline stalactite, Carla looked up at her companions and asked, "Well! _This_ is certainly a fine predicament we find ourselves in! As usual, Fairy Tail has a penchant for causing trouble in even the _safest_ of environments! Does anyone have any sort of clue where we are?"

Jellal knew _exactly_ where they were, and- more importantly- _when_ , but he was loathe to mention it to his friends. This was not a time he liked to remember. Understandably.

"We've somehow traveled back in time." The Heavenly Body mage answered after a moment of internal debate. "This is the Tower of Heaven. It must've been that book that Mira was holding when she fell. It was 'Memory Days', or something like that. I only caught a glimpse of the title."

"Oh! I remember Natsu and Lucy telling me about that book!" Wendy interjected excitedly. "They, Erza and Gray all used it to somehow travel back ten years into Magnolia's past, when they were all very young. I don't remember the details, but I _do_ remember that they needed to be in contact with the person whose memory it was to get back. And the spell only lasted for about six hours."

"If that is truly the case, then _I_ am the link back to the present, considering that none of you have ever been in the Tower of Heaven before. We probably need to bring the book back as well." Jellal mused to himself and to the others.

"What happened to the book, anyway?" Lily asked worriedly as he looked around himself, observing their surroundings and jumping out of the way as another shard of lacrima crashed to the ground two feet in front of him.

"I'm not sure. Maybe we could split up and look for it?" Jellal suggested, then added with widened eyes. "Just make sure you stay out of sight. Remember that Erza and the others are here too. You know the rules of time travel. You _can't_ let anyone recognize you." He warned them vehemently, and everyone nodded, knowing full well the gravity of the situation.

"That won't be too much of a problem." Mira smiled sweetly once again. "Transformation magic is my specialty. I'll just turn into one of my more inconspicuous forms and look for the book. I'll find you guys when I have it, okay?"

Jellal smiled slightly and nodded, acknowledging the Takeover mage's plan as a sound one. With that, Mira transformed into her strongest Satan Soul- Sitri- and flew off, scanning every inch of the crumbling Tower for any sign of the critical book. With that blue and white outfit, she would blend in fairly nicely with the blue of the lacrima.

A shocking thought just occurring to the former sixth Wizard Saint, Jellal gasped audibly and looked toward the center of the Tower, causing his three remaining companions to turn to him in confusion.

"Wendy." Jellal smiled, and the Sky Dragonslayer blushed shyly at the inexplicable expression of pure wonder on the young man's face. "You truly are a gift from the heavens. I know that you've been wondering about a possible way to help me to deal with my mountain of sins of the past, and I just thought of a way to _erase_ one of them from my past completely. Do you think that- remember when you saved me?" He changed the subject so abruptly that Wendy was confused at the whiplash.

"Um- I think so?" The Sky Maiden nodded, very confused as to why Jellal was talking about this all of a sudden.

"During the first confrontation with the Oración Seis and Nirvana, you used your Sky magic to heal me at Brain's behest." Jellal confirmed for her, and the young Dragonslayer nodded. She did indeed remember that.

"Well- you didn't just _heal_ me. You _saved_ me." Jellal smiled at the child with endless gratitude shining in his hazel eyes. "I wasn't in a coma induced by the Etherion, as Brain told you. I was _gone_. But you brought me _back_. As I said before, you are truly a miracle from Heaven. I owe you my _life_ , Wendy."

At Jellal's declaration, Wendy was sure her jaw would have dropped right off her face had it not been attached with a hinge and muscles. The Heavenly Body mage didn't give her much time to gape at him as he continued.

"My point is, do you think you could do it again? Could you take Lily and Carla over there to that large area and save the life of the innocent whose sacrifice never should've happened? You won't be saving just one life, but many. If you can save him, your noble action will help Erza, the rest of our friends from the Tower, and also his loved ones. Not to mention myself as well." He asked- no- _pleaded_ with the angelic maiden that knelt before him.

Wendy gasped at the titanic request that Jellal asked of her, uncertain that she could change Fate like that a second time, but then Lily put a paw on her knee and gave her a thumbs up with his other paw. On her other side, Carla also put both paws on her knee and smiled at her closest friend in this world, putting all the love she could muster into her chocolate-eyed gaze. Empowered by these two gestures of encouragement, Wendy nodded brightly in acceptance and dashed off to the heart of the Tower, searching for Jellal's friend that needed her help.

"Thank you, Wendy." Jellal breathed. "You truly are an angel." He smiled once to himself, then quietly stood to his feet, glancing around for a specific inhabitant of the crumbling cage that had been his home for nearly ten years of his life. Off to the side and out of the corner of his vision, he spotted a figure clad in white pants and a black vest pulling the arm of another human being out of a blob of lacrima with all his strength. With a jolt, Jellal realized that it must have been when Natsu rescued Erza from the sea of magic energy and brought her back to their Fairy Tail family on Akane beach. That being the case, he didn't have much time left at all. Activating his Meteor spell, he shot off in the opposite direction to find his younger self. The Etherion must not be allowed to explode outward, and the Heavenly Body mage knew that the only one still capable of controlling that massive energy was himself. He just needed to wake him up first. _That_ was going to be fun.

* * *

"Oh, dear Mavis!" Wendy gasped as she dropped to her knees beside the fallen 'hero'- according to Jellal, anyway. The man was about the size of her biggest friend in Fairy Tail, Elfman Strauss- at least before his training for the Grand Magic Games.

"Well, _he's_ certainly been through quite a bit, hasn't he?" Carla mused aloud as she tried not to stare at all of the young man's scars. The biggest one nearly covered his sizable chest, and the Sky Maiden could tell that this was the blow that ended his life. Without a word or any hesitation, Wendy closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, reaching for the magic deep within her heart to reverse the damage that her friend- uncontrollably- had inflicted on the man that he'd clearly been very close with growing up. Since joining the Guild a few months ago, Jellal had gradually told her about most of the things that had happened in the R-System island prison, before it was renamed the Tower of Heaven. When her hands began to glow with a turquoise light, she placed them over the grievous wound and willed her power to flow out from her palms and into the still chest of the man laying before her.

-Half an hour later-

 _Huff- Huff- Haaaaaaa_ \- Wendy panted as Simon did the same a few feet away- still unconscious, but breathing steadily and evenly.

"You did it! You did it, child! I'm _so_ proud of you!" Carla rejoiced quietly as she embraced Wendy's forearm, the highest she could comfortably reach.

"Indeed. You truly are a marvel, Sky Dragonslayer." Lily mused with a smirk when he realized the small pun he'd made with the maiden's surname.

"Yeah- I guess I did, didn't I?" Wendy smiled, slightly bashful at all the praise. But then she frowned inexplicably. "But none of that will matter if this Tower collapses with him still inside! I'm all out of magic power, and even if I weren't- there's no way in Earthland that I'd be able to carry him out of here by myself! He's _three_ _times_ my size, at _least_!" She gasped, desperately trying to refill her magic reserves by consuming the heavens as fast as humanly possible. She'd _never_ felt _this_ drained, not even when she'd- apparently- brought Jellal back from the dead seven years ago.

"Well, that's why you've got _me_ here, I guess!" Lily laughed. Walking up to Simon's side, he put his paws on his hips and smirked, "He may be too big for _you_ to carry, but not so with me. Especially if I take my battle form." Closing his eyes and concentrating, Lily suddenly disappeared with a _POP_ and reappeared as a giant compared to his previous physique, standing an impressive six feet taller and summoning his wings with a thought. "I'll get him to shore and return in about a half-hour. And don't worry. I'll stay out of sight." He grinned as he put Simon's arm over his shoulders and one paw around his waist, then both Exceed and Darkness mage disappeared into the night sky.

* * *

Jellal of Fairy Tail found his younger self within a matter of minutes, smiling sadly when he saw that he was still out cold from Natsu's final attack. Walking over to his past self, he accidentally kicked a small metallic coin with his boot and looked down at his feet. It was his old Seal that had identified him as a member of the Ten Wizard Saints back when he'd masqueraded as a member of the Magic Council, as his thought-projection, Siegrain. Raising an eyebrow slightly, Jellal shrugged his shoulders and pocketed the pin, thinking, _Well,_ _he_ _doesn't need it anymore, anyway._

Reaching his younger self's side, The Fairy Tail wizard knelt on one knee and put a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, shaking it slightly to awaken him.

"Jellal." The future breathed to his past. "Open your eyes. We don't have much time."

A slight twitch of his eyelids indicated that the boy had heard him, and Future Jellal smiled, if only slightly. "You are the only one who can save her now. And you know _exactly_ who I'm talking about, so don't bother pretending otherwise. I know that you're now free from that evil spirit, so you don't have any excuse not to do as I tell you." He knew he was being a bit harsh with the boy, but he also knew that he wouldn't remember any of this later during the Nirvana incident.

Without opening his eyes, the younger Jellal nodded slowly and sat up, standing to his feet with somewhat shaky limbs. He had to save her, and all of his other friends that had already escaped the Tower with Erza's teammates. Millianna, Sho, Wally- With a jolt, he remembered what had befallen his dear friend Simon when he'd been under Ultear's complete control, and he put a hand over his face in a vain effort to stem the overwhelming grief that suddenly reared its ugly head and threatened to consume him. "Oh God." He breathed in horror at his memory. "What have I _done_?"

A voice from somewhere beside him spoke up. "I know. I know _exactly_ what you're feeling right now, because I've gone through the exact same thing. But this is not the time for sorrow. You _know_ what you have to do, Jellal."

The boy of X784 nodded again, finally opening his eyes to locate the nearest lacrima 'blob' in which he could fuse himself and redirect the unstable Ethernano and keep it from hurting anyone else. Trudging over to it, he grimaced in pain as he slowly pushed his hand through the viscous barrier and did the same with a foot and leg. Only after his entire lower half had been absorbed did he finally look up and meet the face of his companion, only to receive the biggest shock of his life when he recognized his own face looking back at him, albeit a few years older.

"Me?" He breathed incredulously, and his older 'time twin' smiled and pulled down the neck of his shirt, exposing his golden Fairy Tail Guild mark emblazoned directly over his heart.

"Oh, you must be Mystogan." Jellal looked down as he continued to push himself deeper into the lacrima. But the elder shook his head. "No, your first guess was right. I _am_ you, _and_ a member of Fairy Tail. And let me tell you, it was the _best_ decision we have _ever_ made in our lives."

"Time travel?" The younger Jellal whispered to himself, but the older still caught it. He laughed once in disbelief. " _Next_ you're going to tell me that Revival magic is actually _possible_."

Fairy Tail Jellal couldn't help it. He laughed too. "Well, in a way." He agreed. "But you don't have to worry about that right now. Everything will work out in its own way. Trust me. Trust our heart to do the right thing."

"Trust my heart." Jellal repeated quietly to himself as he closed his eyes and pushed himself through the barrier and completely disappeared into the lacrima. X791 Jellal smiled sadly again and touched his hand to the barrier, whispering two final words to his younger self. "Good luck." Then added mentally, _I'm really going to need it over the next few years._

* * *

-Half an hour later-

"Good news, everyone! I found it!" Mira beamed as she landed gracefully among the gathered wizards and Exceeds from Fairy Tail that had reconvened at a relatively stable location after their respective 'missions' were completed.

"Perfect." Jellal smiled. "Now, according to Lucy's account of the last incident, we need to all be touching when the time-spell activates. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be stranded here in the past. Especially not in this God-forsaken Tower. It's a cruel irony that I named it the 'Tower of Heaven', when it was nothing but _Hell_ for all who were involved in its construction." He frowned, his guilt once again roaring in his head like an angry dragon.

Just as he finished speaking, the tome in Mira's hand began to glow, and two hands and two paws shot forward to make contact with the publication as the five travelers vanished from the waters of Caelum in X784 to their home of Fairy Tail in the year X791.

* * *

-A few days later-

 _Knock. Knock. Knock_. Came a pounding on the oak doors of the Guild Hall as Fairy Tail was relaxing in each others' company. Jellal and Team Natsu were seated at the nearest table to the doors, so Erza volunteered to go see who their unexpected visitor was- cradling the hand with her new engagement ring as if it were a priceless treasure. The date was December 25, Christmas Day- and Magnolia knew that Fairy Tail always threw a big party around this time of year- so it most likely wouldn't be a Job Request, but you never knew. There could always be an emergency or something to the like.

"Meri Kurisumasu, Erzy-werzy!" a bubbly, female voice announced from the doorway when Titania cracked the door open to peer outside, but avoid letting in a chill as much as possible from the wintry weather outside.

"Millianna!" Erza exclaimed as the door was thrown open wide to admit the Fairy Queen's oldest friends as they all group tackled the scarlet Knight in a love-filled hug. "Sho! Wally!" Erza laughed helplessly as the group fell to the floor, still hugging and beaming like it was Christmas. Oh wait-

"Erza." another voice called from the blizzard outside, one that no one who had known this voice ever thought they would hear again. The aforenamed wizard in armor looked up to witness a Christmas miracle. Simon. Her childhood friend was _here_! He was _alive_! In the Darkness mage's hand, he held a small note with only two simple words and today's date printed on it in beautiful calligraphy: _Fairy Tail_ _, December 25, X791._ At the sight of the note he'd written almost eight years ago, Pantherlily smiled slyly as he lounged at an adjacent table next to his Dragonslayer partner, Gajeel Redfox.

At the table, Jellal gasped softly for a moment, but then smiled when he remembered their accidental time-jump a few days ago and beamed with indescribable thanks at Wendy, who just turned red and smiled back bashfully.

" _Simon_?!" The group of friends by the door breathed in unison, utterly speechless at his resurrection.

"Merry Christmas, my friends." Jellal smiled as the group stood to include the four new members who had joined them. "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night."

* * *

The End

God Bless!

Tsunami Storm


End file.
